3 Mount Vernon Seniors Awarded $12,000 Jandon Scholarships

From the Mount Vernon City School District

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Three Mount Vernon City School District seniors were among 10 students in Westchester County selected to receive $12,000 academic scholarships from The Jandon Foundation. Seniors Ygor Pereira, Dontae Richards, and Tasheem Brown will be recognized at the foundation’s upcoming press conference and reception on Tuesday, May 21, 2019, at the Michaelian Office Building and Vintage Bar & Grill in White Plains, respectively.

“The Jandon Foundation has been extremely generous to the District and its students for nearly 20 years. These academic scholarships provide our bright, motivated students with relief from the financial burden associated with pursuing a quality undergraduate education,” said Superintendent Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton. “For many of our scholarship recipients, the financial assistance provides them with opportunities they might otherwise not have to attend the colleges and universities of their choice.”

Each student will receive a $12,000 academic scholarship to be distributed over the course of their four-year undergraduate studies. Pereira has chosen to pursue a degree in Business Administration at the University of Southern California (USC) and Brown will be attending the University of Rochester, where he plans to study computer science. Richards is still deciding on whether she will attend the University of Connecticut (UConn) to pursue a degree in biology.

As the son of two immigrants who have worked long hours to provide for their three sons since moving to the U.S., Pereira has demonstrated academic excellence and stellar citizenship as a high school student. Pereira is a state championship track & field qualifier, Collegeboard 2018-19 National Hispanic Recognition Program recipient, and a Questbridge College Match Finalist.

Brown has taken advantage of the District’s robust educational environment. He is an active participant in several school clubs including the Coding and Engineering Club, the Science Club, the Writer’s Club, and the Robotics Team as well as an inductee of the National Honors Society chapter at The Mount Vernon High School. He also tutors youth in a community program called YCOP and within the high school including a student peer with significant learning disabilities. He was accepted to and attended Harvard University’s Pre-College Program last summer.

Recognizing the importance of her academic success in order to afford her collegiate education, Richards spent her high school career striving to achieve at the academic level she was most capable of. While doing so, her desire to serve the community was not lost; because of her acts of service, she was inducted into the National Honor Society, the STAR Scholars, and the HerHonor mentorship program.

“This is an amazing opportunity for an amazing group of students,” said Peggy Williams, a school counselor for the Mount Vernon City School District. “The Jandon Foundation has been so generous to our students in the almost all of the 20 years I’ve worked for the District, and each one of the recipients has recognized the value of their scholarship and seen it as a gateway to their collegiate education. The foundation has also demonstrated its commitment to the students by keeping in contact with them year after year.”