MOUNT CALVARY HOLY CHURCH

The Kesia L. Hayes Memorial Scholarship

 

 

A U.S. News and World Report article in 2012 asserts that “[a] close look at American unemployment statistics reveals a contradiction: Even with unemployment at historically high levels, large numbers of jobs are going unfilled. Many of these jobs have one thing in common–the need for an educational background in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”

 

According to a 2013 article in The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, “New data from the U.S. Census Bureau shows the necessity of increasing efforts to increase the number of African American who study in STEM fields at American colleges and universities. The data shows that while Blacks are 10.8 percent of all employed workers, they make up only 6.4 percent of all employees in STEM occupations.”

 

Mt. Calvary Holy Church of Columbus, Ohio wants to do its part in securing the future of the country and African Americans by providing a scholarship to assist an African American student majoring in a STEM discipline.  Kesia L. Hayes, a daughter of the ministry, was an African American young woman using her degree in accounting to excel in the field of banking until her life was cut short by brain cancer. The Kesia L. Hayes Memorial Scholarship Program is for African American students majoring in fields of finance, accounting, science, technology, engineering or mathematics. To be eligible, students must be sophomores, juniors or seniors. Additionally students must have a minimum of a 2.5 GPA. The scholarship awards for this opportunity range from a minimum of $500 up to a maximum of $2000. The actual amount awarded is at the discretion of the scholarship fund committee.  Mt. Calvary Holy Church of Columbus, Ohio seeks to honor the memory of Kesia L. Hayes through a scholarship program in her name. The Kesia L. Hayes Memorial Scholarship Banquet is an annual fundraiser that supports the scholarship program.