New Mann Scholars were announced and older Mann Scholars were honored and celebrated at the annual Mann Scholars Ceremony at the Wisconsin Institute of Discovery Town Center on the University of Wisconsin-Madison June 4.
“This is one of our favorite events of the year because tonight is the night we get to wish your graduating scholars well as they start their next chapters in their education and in their lives,” said Mark Richardson, chair of the Mann Educational Opportunity Fund Board. “We also get to welcome new Mann Scholars to the family. And it is a family.”
Mann Scholars are picked every year based on their academic promise, their motivation, their financial need, and the willingness of their families to encourage participation in enrichment activities. They are primarily, but not exclusively, students of color.
“Bernard and Kathlyn Mann were staunch advocates for education for their children and insisted that they have the best that public education had to offer,” Richardson said. “The Mann family lives on through their children, the organization and the fund – built to help children just like theirs. And it lives on through the supporters, many of whom are in the room tonight.”
The Mann Educational Opportunity Fund is a scholarship that honors the late Bernard and Kathlyn Mann, long-time African-American residents of Madison whose strong belief in education helped ensure the graduation of their five children from Madison Memorial High School and later from universities. The Mann Program’s goal is to provide mentoring and educational tools to students from the Madison Metropolitan School District who show potential for academic achievement but face significant challenges to reaching their full potential.
Each Mann Scholar receives $1,000 per year each year during high school, mentoring support, and assistance in planning high school and post-secondary studies. During their high school years, these young people will receive whatever financial, mentoring, and academic support they need to succeed. The scholarship funds help pay for extracurricular and school expenses during high school, and the program also provides academic mentoring.
Alex Fralin, Chief of Schools, Secondary Education, gave the welcome at the annual Mann Scholars Celebration event and said that he was honored to be talking to the young people.
“One particular aspect of African-American history is the constantly remembering and honoring and respect for our ancestors,” Fralin told the crowd. “I think it’s important to pause for a second and to remember and to thank Bernard and Kathlyn Mann for being the type of parents who invested in children beyond their own. I also want to pause and thank the children of the Mann family who made the significant choice to honor their parents by starting a foundation that would create the system of support and recognition that points our students towards college.
“As a result of that decision, we can celebrate tonight that 100 percent of Mann Scholars have graduated again,” he added. “Those are tremendous results.”
Fralin thanked the Mann Scholars Award Committee for inviting him to speak at the event in “recognizing the exceptionalism that’s in this room tonight.” “On behalf of [MMSD Superintendent] Jen Cheatham and the [MMSD] board [of directors], we congratulate you and your families,” he added.
Former Mann Scholars Pahoua Thao and Kierra Junifer announced the new 2016 Mann Scholars that included:
◆ Dezmond Jones, Whitehorse Middle School
◆ Cleopatria Kum, Hamilton Middle School
◆ Denaria Rowe, O’Keeffe Middle School
◆ Soua Thao, Spring Harbor Middle School
Graduating Mann Scholars high school seniors were honored one by one by Mann Scholars Coordinator Amy Wallace who works closely with all of the students throughout the year. She recounted personal stories from each of the students and presented them with a T-shirt of the college that they were planning to attend. These students included Blake Washington of West High School who is planning on attending UW-Milwaukee; Francine White of Memorial High School who is planning on attending Prairie View A&M; Alisha Campbell of Memorial High School who is planning on attending Madison College; and Alayvia Jackson of Madison East High School who is planning on attending UW-Milwaukee.
Campbell thanked her family for helping her through the struggles she had over the past year. “I also want to thank Amy [Wallace] for dealing with me these past few years,” she said. “As a last note, I would just like to let the incoming Mann Scholars know that you should really take advantage of this opportunity and make Amy your mom, basically. Tell her everything and she will be here for you.”
Jackson said that Wallace is the boulder that holds down every Mann Scholar in this program. “She’s brought us all together to experience new things and to build new relationships,” Jackson said. “She is willing to give you her undivided attention whenever you ask for it and won’t judge you by your action. She is someone who will believe in you when you don’t even believe in yourself and keep pushing you to your true potential.”
Marshaun Hall, a former Mann Scholar who just got his bachelor’s degree from Howard University, gave his reflections and words of wisdom to close the event out. He told the young people that they have to understand the balance between seeking guidance and forging your own path. “What I’ve found out from my experience is that you have to be humble enough to know that you don’t always have the answers,” he said. “At the same time, you have to recognize that everyone doesn’t have the answer for you.”
Hall advised the young people to not be afraid to make mistakes because it simply becomes another opportunity for education. He also said to say diligent, stay true to yourself, but still make sure you are having fun.
“Everybody in this room has an opportunity to have a huge impact in the community around us,” Hall said. “The impact you have is sometimes unseen, but it is limitless. You have to understand and appreciate the impact you have on those around you.”
