Announcing our 2016 Scholarship Recipient – Trenati Baker
June 2016
Trenati Baker will begin her studies at Amherst College this fall. She has been awarded the 2016 PBKACA Scholarship. We are thrilled to provide assistance to this young woman who we know has a bright future.
Trenati provided PBKACA with the following letter:
To Phi Beta Kappa Scholarship Committee,
It is with humility and profound gratitude that I accept the 2016 Phi Beta Kappa Association of Chicago Area scholarship. I am deeply honored to be this year’s recipient of the scholarship.
Currently, I am a senior at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School where, among many things, I am a part of the work study program with an internship at Salesforce, the Chicago Students Union, Freshman Mentors, Zumba Dance Club, On The Money magazine, and Fit4You, a nonprofit organization that I co-founded four years ago. In the coming weeks, I will graduate high school with high honors as a result of my favorable standardized test scores and grades. The fall marks my transition into college. I will attend Amherst College with an intended double major of African American Studies and Political Science. My interests lie deeply in law and policy-making and come from my desire to resolve the issues in America.
This scholarship will ease some of the financial burdens of pursuing my post-secondary education. It will allow me to focus on my collegiate learning experience rather than worrying about how I’ll pay for it. Additionally, it will allow me to continue fight for and encourage food justice, financial literacy, and educational equity. Simultaneously, this scholarship will allow me to immerse myself into new organizations at my college campus, like the Black Students Union, Amherst College Outing Club, and WAMH (Amherst Radio).
All in all, the Phi Beta Kappa Association of Chicago Area scholarship will remove financial stress and worry which will allow me to have more energy and time to be a more multi-dimensional student. This alone will allow me to be more successful in reaching my dream of becoming a lawyer, and, one day, a Supreme Court justice.
Positive change can be made by anyone. I plan to make positive change in the future, and this scholarship will greatly help me along that path. Thanks again for this generous and meaningful scholarship and honor.
Best Wishes,
Trenati Baker