Baltimore Ravens Award College Scholarships To 20 City Schools Graduates
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Baltimore Ravens has selected 20 Baltimore City Public Schools graduates as Ozzie Newsome Scholars, according to team staff.
Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti and his wife, Renee, created the scholarship program in honor of Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens' longtime personnel executive and Pro Football Hall of Famer, staff said.
The program funds scholarships for public school graduates who attend one of Maryland's Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Morgan State University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore are on the short list of those higher-education institutions, staff said.
Ozzie Newsome Scholars receive an annual scholarship of $10,000 for up to five years of college—a total of $50,000 per scholar.
This year, the Stephen and Renee Bisciotti Foundation made a $4 million gift in his name to Maryland's HBCUs, providing $1 million in scholarship funds to each, according to team staff.
Beginning with this school year, 20 new freshmen scholars will be selected every year for four years, producing a total of 80 Ozzie Newsome Scholars throughout the course of the program, staff said.
The scholars will participate in the CollegeBound Foundation's College Completion Program.
The foundation donated $400,000 to the CollegeBound Foundation to fund the Newsome Scholar's participation in the College Completion Program too, according to team staff.
Scholarship winners will be guided by a college completion advisor, work with an upperclassman peer mentor, and join other Baltimore City Public Schools graduates in an overnight "transition to college workshop," staff said.
Also, the scholarship winners will participate in three annual skill-building seminars, according to team staff.
The 2022-23 Ozzie Newsome Scholars are:
Bowie State University
- D'Amini Cheatham
- Riauna Janae Poole
- Asia Aaliyah Ross
- Zarielle Simms
- Aaron R. Sloan
Coppin State University
- Adeseyi Adekanbi
- Tamya Bellamy
- Trevon Dorsey
- Felicite Ogu
- Melania Phillips
Morgan State University
- Kiyah Banks
- Gafanique Francis
- Michelle James
- Raegan Jennings
- Isaac Nwaturocha
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
- Ziare Diggs
- Jacob Dungey
- TyJuan Hawkins
- Ahmad Lee
- Emmanuel Reid