Nine FAMU SJGC Students Awarded Inaugural Winning Foundation Housing Scholarships

Nine Florida A&M University (FAMU) School of Journalism & Graphic Communication (SJGC) students are the recipients of inaugural Winning Foundation housing scholarships.

The scholarships are designed to pay for housing during summer internships or on-campus or off campus housing for student-athletes and College of Education and SJGC students.

Created by FAMU alumni, former ABC News President Kimberly Godwin Manning and her husband, Derrick Manning, assistant superintendent of Clayton County (Ga.) Schools, the Winning Foundation was established with the vision “to eliminate anxieties around housing insecurity while matriculating through college.”

“A lot of students are working full time. That takes away from academics, community involvement and student involvement because they’re spending all their extra time working,” Godwin Manning said. “So, if the Foundation pays their rent, they no longer have that pressure, and they can choose more valuable things to do with their time.”

The scholarships cover rent for two students during their summer internships; four students who live off campus and three students in campus housing, according to SJGC alumna Godwin Manning, vice president of the Winning Foundation.

The nine recipients are Anissa Carby, a junior, broadcast journalism student of Miami; Najeh Grant, a sophomore, graphic design student  of Jacksonville; Karrington Henderson, a sophomore, broadcast journalism student of Jacksonville; Kyla Jackson, a sophomore, broadcast journalism student of Stone Mountain, Georgia; Kaylin Jean-Louis, a junior, broadcast journalism of Tallahassee; Destiny Ramirez, a senior, graphic design student of  New York; Terrill Smith, a junior graphic design student of Miami; Deceni Suazo-Sneed, a senior broadcast journalism student of Gibsonton, Fla.; and Maryn Quinton, a sophomore, public relations student of Suitland, Maryland.

“Housing is such a fundamental need for our students pursuing their degree at FAMU. This scholarship lightens their financial burden and allows students to focus on their studies with less stress,” said SJGC Dean Mira Lowe. “We are grateful to SJGC alumna Kim Godwin and the Winning Foundation for investing in our students’ well-being and academic success.”

Money for the scholarships was donated during a fundraiser during homecoming weekend 2023. The scholarships are awarded competitively.

“We went through a very rigorous process where we had dozens of students apply for the scholarships, which included writing essays,” Godwin Manning said. “We were very impressed with the number of students who applied.”

 

Led by president Derrick Manning, the Winning Foundation is dedicated to elevating education through housing at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

“We know that students worried about where they will sleep, how they will pay rent, or whether they can take an out-of-town internship, are not showing up as their best selves in the classroom or community. By alleviating those concerns, we give students more mental capacity to focus on their academic and professional growth,” the organization said on its website.

Godwin Manning said as a full-time SJGC student, she worked three jobs. She said her husband, Derrick, a College of Education graduate, had to forego medical school because he couldn’t afford housing. He was a biology teacher before becoming a school administrator.

 “The incredible essays we received and stories we heard during our interview process let us know that this Foundation is absolutely needed,” she said. “Students working full time jobs with full schedules, families living in homeless shelters, and entire families pitching in to help keep them in school are just some of the stories.”