ISSUED: 5 May 2022
MEDIA CONTACT: Dana Costa
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The Bonnie and Bill Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications at Shepherd University is proud to announce the recipients of the ListenLearnEngage Leadership Scholarship for the 2021-22 academic year. Six scholarships were awarded in the amount of $3,000 each to help the awardees pay for their education at Shepherd University.
These scholarships were awarded to students who demonstrated a commitment to their personal leadership development and applying those skills to their field of study and/or community. These students attended the 2022 Shepherd University Student Leadership Conference, completed Shepherd’s Leadership for a Better World certificate, and proved an understanding of and connection to the ListenLearnEngage Initiative’s mission.
The recipients are Michaela Sencindiver, a college student development and administration graduate student from Inwood; Xavier Hersom, a music major from Martinsburg; Abigail Stevens, a social work major from Hagerstown, Maryland; Boluwatife Dogari, a psychology major from Glenn Dale, Maryland; Kitanna Rakestraw, a social work major from Uhrichsville, Ohio; and Mohamed Balassi, a computer information sciences major from Doha, Qatar.
“This year we were a partner in the creation of the annual Shepherd Student Leadership Conference with the goal of helping students to develop the skills to be leaders in a post-pandemic world,” said Cindy Powers, program coordinator for the ListenLearnEngage Initiative. “Attending this conference and the completion of the Leadership for a Better World certificate are extra-curricular opportunities for students to take steps beyond their degree requirements to grow and have a positive impact on the world. With this scholarship, we honor those efforts and are happy to provide students with some economic relief during these challenging times.”
The ListenLearnEngage Initiative was created by the Bonnie and Bill Stubblefield Institute for Civil Political Communications at Shepherd University to inspire students across disciplines to participate in constructive, skillful, political, and civic engagement tied to their field of study. With this year’s funding provided by the CARES Act, the Initiative has been providing support and enrichment that centers around the intersection of leadership/civic engagement and COVID-19 relief.
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