Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 2-28-17

Features
Family’s Educational Values Lead To Scholarship, Endowed Funds At FAMU
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
FAMUly OF GIVING
A local family whose par- ents instilled in them the value of education, has taken those ‘lessons learned’ to another level and are paying it forward.
“When it comes to giving back, we believe in the lessons that our parents have exhib- ited and instilled in us. We have seen our parents help strangers on the street, buy groceries for those in need, and most importantly being faithful servants to all. They al- ways told us to never look down on anyone and that it’s okay to help. ‘Don’t complain, Do your part,’ is what they’d say.”
Those are the words of
Lieutenant Colonel Ri- cardo “Rick” Kinsey. He and his siblings, Ron and Robin have chosen to honor their parents, Samuel and Alma Kinsey, by establish- ing an endowment in their names at Florida A&M Univer- sity.
The Samuel and Alma Kin- sey Endowed Scholarship Fund was established 4 years ago. It is a $25,000 endowed fund. The scholarship is for high school graduating seniors from Tampa who would like to attend FAMU.
Last year, Lt. Col. Kinsey
and his son, Jordan estab- lished the Matthew Bien-Aime Endowed Scholarship Fund at FAMU “to honor Matt, my son’s best friend, who was killed in a vehicle accident while driving back to FAMU. That scholarship is also a $25,000 endowed fund. This scholarship is also for high school graduating seniors from Tampa that would like to attend FAMU.
Rick said he was over- joyed that his son would make a gesture of goodwill for his friend.
Keeping education as its focus, this year, the Lieutenant Colonel Ricardo “Rick” Kinsey Scholarship Fund was estab- lished for high school graduat- ing seniors who want to attend FAMU, too. This is an an- nual scholarship with a deadline of March 15, 2017. Contact Mr. Kinsey at rickinsey1@outlook.com.
The preference is for a graduating student from Tampa Bay Tech to be the scholarship recipient. How- ever, if no student is eligible, the next preference is Howard W. Blake graduates and then Middleton High.
Lt. Col. Ricardo Kinsey
is a graduate of Tampa Bay Technical High School. Upon graduating, he followed in his parents’ footsteps and at- tended Florida A&M Univer- sity. He graduated with a
Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and received a commission in the United States Army. Mr. Kinsey re- tired from the United States Army in 2006 after 20 years of military service.
“I started an initiative amongst my retired colleagues as well to establish scholarship funds for high school graduat- ing seniors to attend their alma maters. I am happy to say that over 20 friends have joined this challenge. My goal is to get all my retired friends in whatever profession to give back and make a difference one student at a time. ‘Don’t complain, Do your part’.”
MATTHEW BIEN-AIME AND JORDAN KINSEY
Front row: Jansen Kinsey. Back row, L-R Rick Kinsey, parents, Samuel and Alma Kinsey, Robin Kin- sey, and Jordan Kinsey. Not shown, brother, Ron Kinsey, Tomeka Kinsey, Carrington Kinsey, Chandler Kinsey, Jessica Kinsey, Devin Kinsey, and Alaina Gibson.
LEAD Students Recognized At Black Heritage Celebration
A young Cello player received a $500 scholarship
Nine students were recognized as winners of the LEAD contest. LEAD (Learn, Empower, Ad- vocate, Dream) is a student contest in celebration of Black History Month.
Students in grades 3-12 were challenged to create an artistic interpretation expressing how he or she is inspired by a local Black leader. The students entered in three different categories: Literature, Performance, and Visual Arts.
In partnership with the Plant City Black Her- itage organization, the winners of this prestigious contest were honored at the 14th Annual Black Heritage Banquet on Friday, February 10th, held at Hillsborough Community College-Trinkle Center.
James La Fayette, Jr. received a $500 scholarship along with other surprises for win- ning the Performance part of the LEAD contest. He composed a Cello solo, “Freedom Lion,” in honor of his grandfather. Rev. Dr. Bernard La Fayette, Jr.
James is a 7th grader at Orange Grove Middle Magnet School.
The son of Mr. and Mrs. James (Tyesha) La Fayette, Sr., the young classical musician and his siblings get their musical talents from their mother.
James, Jr. plays cello, brother, Jeremiah plays viola and brother, Joshua plays the double bass.
JAMES LA FAYETTE, JR. ...Composed Cello performance in honor of his grandfather
James, an ‘A’ student, has made All County and All State as a member of the youth orchestra. Other winners in the Performance area were: Alexander Wynn, III, Cahoon ES, Intermedi- ate division; and Alexis Esparza, Durant High
School, High School division.
Winners in the Literature division were: In-
termediate, Kaleb Smith, Hammond School; Middle, Emily Vershay, Tinker Middle School; and High School division, Kitan Adjeniji, Sick- les High.
Visual Arts winners: Intermediate, Izzy Car- penter, Kingswood; Middle, Kevin Huang, Wilson; and High School division, Odette Del Valle, Middleton High.
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