This year we are delighted to announce we have awarded the Yohan Abraham Memorial scholarship to two very promising candidates: One serves in the National Guard and the other is an Army Veteran. Jack Clark who won the same award during his junior year again won the award for the senior year. The junior scholarship was awarded to Joshua Pham who served as an army medic in multiple tours of duty and like Yohan is on an eight year rotation serving his seventh year currently. This year our treasurer was on hand at the award ceremony and had the pleasure of meeting many of our past scholarship holders and was able to learn from them first hand their stories and where they are now both career wise and in life.
Meanwhile, the STEAM bus chugs along at Smith County School district
This picture is a page from the New Middleton Elementary School yearbook. The teachers were talking about how much the kids enjoyed the bus and how they hope it gets to stay for a while again next year. The bus is a shared platform for STEM education for the ten schools in the SCSD. Thought our donors might like to hear that it is being loved despite its late entry due to the pandemic!
We have our 2023 scholarship winners and they are Jack (junior) and Shelbi (senior).
Our junior scholar for AY 2023-24 is Mr. Jack Clark. Jack is a member of the ROTC and a junior in accounting. He is seen with his mother and stepdad along with Mandy and from YAF. Jack has a very similar career path to Yohan and plans to serve in the armed forces before embarking on a career in business and accounting.
Our senior scholar is Ms. Shelbi Brewer who was our junior scholar last year. Shelbi has shown exemplary performance and is graduating in accounting along with courses in business law. She hopes to be a dual major hoping to make a career in company and business law areas. Shelbi appears in the next photograph with her mother and Mandy and Diane from YAF
Our 2022 YAF Scholars at MTSU are Ms. Gracie Smith (Senior) and Ms. Shelbi Brewer (Junior)
Ms Shelbi Brewer (Junior) on the left and Ms Gracie Smith (Senior) and returning scholar are our recipients of the Yohan Abraham Memorial Scholarship for AY 2022. They are seen here with Ms. Cathy McNulty of the Foundation. Our best wishes to them both and good luck and Godspeed to both.
The STEAM Bus is now in use in Smith County School District
The STEAM Bus project is finally underway after delays due to the pandemic: Mrs. Leslie’s science classes @ GES-Gordonsville Elementary School enjoyed time on the STEAM bus learning about food webs in ecosystems. They did a great job building energy pyramids!
Introducing our 2021 Yohan Abraham Memorial Scholars @ Middle Tennessee State University
This year we awarded two scholarships of 5000 USD each to two juniors in Accounting @ MTSU. Both have very impressive resumes and we are delighted to share their stories and aspirations with you!.
The Yohan Abraham Scholarship!
This memorial plaque hangs on the wall in the Department of Accounting office @ MTSU.
Grace Smith, Yohan Abraham Scholarship Recipient
Grace Smith went to school at Lebanon High School in Lebanon, Tennessee participating on the soccer team. While in school, she worked diligently at Chick-fil-A since she was 15 and continues to work there full-time as a supervisor for the 5:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. shift.
Working full-time and attending school full-time, Grace enrolled at Cumberland University, a local private college, then Volunteer State Community College where she earned her Associates Degree. Seeking more opportunities, she transferred to MTSU as a marketing major. She really loved Dr. Sarah Garven’s Principles of Accounting I course and with Sarah’s persuasion changed her major to accounting. Grace was no stranger to accounting as her mother works in accounting for PFG. An outstanding junior, Grace is enrolled in Intermediate Accounting I and Cost Accounting currently.
Grace attended Elliott Davis’s Summer Leadership Program “Energize” last summer and was offered a full-time internship in audit for Summer 2022.
Grace loves how accounting builds on each topic and says Professor Rebecca Foote is her favorite as she is very helpful and personable. She really likes MTSU and appreciates that everyone is so helpful and wants you to get a job.
Grace has another responsibility this year – planning for a September wedding! Her fiancé is a construction apprentice and will be going into MTSU’s acclaimed Construction Management Program in the future.
Congratulations Grace on your Yohan Abraham Scholarship!
Cierra Thomas, Yohan Abraham Scholarship Recipient
Cierra Thomas grew up in Woodbury, Tennessee and went to school at Cannon County High School. In high school she was involved in the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) which turned into Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA). She participated in enterprise competitions in New York City and Pigeon Forge, TN. Her group developed an internet business called Freedom Trail Outfitters where they served as an intermediary for high quality camping gear. She also worked in a bakery and waited tables at a local restaurant which has since closed due to the pandemic.
She is currently interning at a local Murfreesboro CPA firm, Grannis & Associates, since August and works about 20 weekly hours. She is excited about the upcoming busy season and says they have been preparing her well.
Cierra started MTSU as a business administration major. She really loved Jacobs Chair Tom Walker’s Principles of Accounting I course and with Tom’s persuasion changed her major to accounting. An outstanding junior, Cierra is enrolled in Intermediate Accounting II and Accounting Information Systems currently.
Cierra likes accounting for its organization, numbers and detail-orientation. She also likes the variety of opportunities it provides.
Cierra is very involved in community service. She helps her mom a lot who is employed by Murfreesboro City Schools, with her church group distributing baskets for the elderly and with community groups that help provide assistance to domestic violence victims.
Congratulations Cierra on your Yohan Abraham Scholarship!
Yay!. The STEAM Bus has been inaugurated!
We've got great news to share! The STEAM bus project we undertook a while back was finally inaugurated by Smith County for students in summer classes! The project adoption had been delayed by Covid-19 and other setbacks, but we are happy to share pictures of this fun mobile classroom and lab at work this summer, providing Science, Tech, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics education in Smith County School District, in TN. These are your donations hard at work and we are humbled by the generosity of all who donated! . It is truly our mission to promote STEM education in Smith County School District, where Yohan lived. Thank you to all of our supporters for making this possible and thank you Ms. Angel W. and Ms.Kristi W. of Smith County School District for making this happen!
“Yesterday the younger grades did a "fossil dig" and learned about archaeology. Today my students learned about vital signs and how to take blood pressure.” - Mandy Uhles @ Forks River Elementary School
2020 MTSU Scholarship recipients →
This year the award ceremony at MTSU was conducted remotely via you tube. Two Accounting students earned the Yohan Abraham Memorial Scholarship to continue their educations. They are:-
Daniel K. Diaz-McFarland Junior in the Accounting Program at MTSU
Lillia G. Hendrickson Senior in the Accounting Program at MTSU
Lillia G. Hendrickson was last years Junior scholarship recipient. Both are also ROTC cadets at MTSU. Click here for the brief student “thank you” video featuring a few grateful scholarship recipients.
Jones College also created a video scholarship recognition that you can view by clicking here. Each scholarship is announced along with the recipient’s name. The Yohan Abraham Memorial Scholarships are announced around 9:42. The recipients also receive a printed certificate and Yohan’s bio.
Introducing Daniel Diaz-McFarland