Seven students from Withrow University High School received the Fred Heisel Jr. Grant-In-Aid Award from the Cincinnati Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity at a May 16 scholarship luncheon. From left: Darrell Henry, FamiliesFORWARD prevention specialist at Withrow; grant recipients Teliek Chavis (to attend Ohio State University), Ralph Stewart III (Northern Kentucky University), Gary Lackey (University of Cincinnati) and Charles Jones (University of Cincinnati); Lakisha Porter, FamiliesFORWARD college office coordinator at Withrow; grant recipients Doryan Beach (Ohio Dominican University), Aklilu Debas (University of Cincinnati) and William Sebastien (University of Cincinnati); and Shane Fletcher, FamiliesFORWARD site manager at Withrow.

Kappa Alpha awards grants to 7 Withrow grads

The Cincinnati Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity has awarded seven Withrow University High School graduating seniors with 2015 Fred Heisel Jr. Grant-in-Aid Awards.

Each student received a $1,000 scholarship during an afternoon banquet May 16. They were among 12 grant recipients in Greater Cincinnati.

Doryan Beach, son of Jay and Rebekah Beach, plans to attend Ohio Dominican University and major in exercise science. He achieved a 3.6 grade-point average at Withrow while playing on the varsity football team.

Teliek Chavis, son of Saundra Chavis, will attend Ohio State University, majoring in pre-medicine or psychology. He finished with a 4.0 grade-point average at Withrow. He was involved in mentoring with Western & Southern Financial Group, Luxottica Tigers, Men Organized Respected and Educated (M.O.R.E.) and the varsity football team, and was a teacher’s aide.

Aklilu Debas, son of Haile Weldermariam and Kudusan Okubagebriel, plans to attend University of Cincinnati, where he will major in engineering. He achieved a 3.4 grade-point average and was a member of the boys’ varsity soccer team.

Charles Jones, son of Charles Sr. and Shelina Jones, plans to attend University of Cincinnati, majoring in business management and marketing. He finished with a 3.0 grade-point average while participating in track and field at Withrow.

Gary Lackey, son of Gary Lackey Sr. and Latucha Middlebrooks, will attend University of Cincinnati and major in business administration. He achieved a 3.6 grade-point average at Withrow, where he participated in bowling.

William Sebastien, son of Sebastien Nagenge and Aimee Ngoyi, will attend University of Cincinnati and major in biochemistry. He finished with a 4.1 grade-point average at Withrow. He participated in tutoring, soccer and GEAR UP.

Ralph Stewart III, son of Ralph and Crystal Stewart, plans to attend Northern Kentucky University, with a double-major in media informatics and business informatics. He finished with a 2.9 grade-point average at Withrow.

FamiliesFORWARD staff members assisted 10 Withrow seniors in applying for the Kappa Alpha scholarships. Each student wrote an essay, then the seven-member Scholarship Committee of the Kappa Alpha alumni chapter reviewed the applications and conducted interviews with applicants before selecting the winners.

The number of scholarships was the most ever received by Withrow graduates from Kappa Alpha in a single year. A total of 18 from Withrow have received the awards in the past four years. Kappa Alpha has awarded 104 scholarships, beginning in 2002.

—Bill Ferguson Jr.