Page 16 - Florida Sentinel 6-3-22

Local
Couple Turns Personal Tragedy Into A Mission To Help Others
By MONIQUE STAMPS Sentinel Staff Writer
In 2018, Cornell and Tre’Esa Battles were told devastating news that no par- ent wants to hear. Their 4- month-old baby girl, Artist Pa’Jon, had brain cancer. Two months after her diagno- sis, Artist died the day before her 6-month-old birthday.
During long nights and trou- bling days at the hospital, the couple agreed that as a family, they would ensure that their hopes for Artist Pa’Jon would not stop when she passed. The couple vowed to ensure that her name would live on to inspire and encour- age young people.
“As a FAMU graduate, and the daughter of educators, HBCUs and higher education are important to me, and my husband. Also, Cornell had al- ready started the BattleCutz Raffles to benefit members of the community. We decided to change the name and refocus
CORNELL AND TRES’ESA BATTLES WITH THEIR DAUGHTER, ARTIST PA’JON.
on college scholarships. One of our biggest hopes is for Artist Pa’Jon to be a legacy born out of our passion for higher edu- cation.”
Cornell is a military veteran and owner of BattleCutz Bar- ber Shop. His wife Tre’ Esa, is a corporate finance manager and local studio dance instruc-
2022 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
TRE' ESA BATTLES, CHAUNCEY JOHNSON, KAITLYN JORDEN, ROBERT BLALOCK, KHAMILLE WILLIAMS, JAILEN MARCELIN, CORNELL BATTLES
tor and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
With a focus on education, exposure, and leadership for minority high school seniors in Hillsborough County, the cou- ple are proud to be able to offer scholarships to qualifying ap- plicants to assist them in achieving their higher educa- tion goals.
The recipients’ relationship with Mr. and Mrs. Battles does not end with the scholar- ship. The Battles pride them- selves on remaining connected with each recipient to provide additional resources to ensure that scholarship recipients achieve their full scholastic po- tential.
The 2022 Scholarship win-
ners are five Hillsborough County high school graduating seniors:
They are Kaitlyn Jorden an aspiring Fashion Designer and future Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) graduate; Jailen Marcelin, prospective Bio-Chemistry major at Howard University; Khamille Williams a future Dance Major at Florida State Univer- sity (FSU) and Robert Blalock a freshman candidate who has been accepted into Tennessee State University (TSU) majoring in neurology on the pre-med track.
Additionally, the Battles awarded the Malik Sails Schol- arship to Chauncey John- son. This scholarship was awarded in memory of the son of a very dear friend of the Battles who passed away while attending Mississippi Valley State University in 2021. Chauncey plans to attend the University of Alabama with a major in Civil Engineering.
To find out more informa- tion or donate for the 2023 scholarship season, please visit their webpage at www.apss- cholarships.org.
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