Summer Bennett

West Irondequoit Class of 2019

Summer sharing her plans after Graduation and what she would like people to know about her:

“I plan to head to college to major in fashion design after graduation. I’m considering FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), Buffalo State or SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design). I also want to study abroad. I never got the chance to travel outside of the country or travel at all so I think it will be an interesting experience”

“I hope to become multilingual in the future because I want to travel a lot. I currently know English (of course!) and Spanish. I’m currently learning Korean and Japanese; I’m able to read and write in Korean but I’m nowhere near fluent yet. I hope to also learn French, maybe Arabic and some other languages as they come along. Also, I’m working on building my own brand for my clothes and accessories called "iixl"... My clothing style has been re-branded into more of a “grunge” style and the name was changed to fit better. If you’d like to check out some of the things I’ve made you can search up my business page @_iixlvb on Instagram.

Her words of wisdom to future students participating in the Urban-Suburban program are:

“When you start at the school, make friends and don’t be shy… Make sure you get as involved as you can in your school because it will help build your resume and you can gain experience. Get to know your teachers, they’ll be really be helpful for you in the future.”

Empowering students for their futures

UNCF’s scholarships and Empower Me Tour have helped students prepare for college and their careers, thanks to support from Wells Fargo.

Thandi Moses has always had clear plans for her future. As a high school student in Rochester, New York, she knew she wanted to go to a historically black college or university. Now that she’s a student at an HBCU, she plans on attending an Ivy League law school after she earns her bachelor’s degree.

“I want to go to school with people who want to succeed,” Moses said. “It empowers you.”

Thandi Moses applied and was accepted to Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, Florida, during UNCF’s Empower Me Tour in 2017.

But as a high school student, she wondered how she would adjust to college life and the curriculum, so she attended United Negro College Fund’s Empower Me Tour in Rochester, New York, in 2017 to find out more about college opportunities. There, she learned about Florida Memorial University—which she applied to and was accepted at during the event—Tuskegee University, and North Carolina A&T University, and she even received one of five $5,000 scholarships from UNCF, the largest scholarship granting organization for students of color. Today, Moses is a freshman at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens, Florida, majoring in law and government with a minor in business administration.

Urban League of Rochester Salute to Black Scholars Early Recognition Program

The Urban League of Rochester’s 33rd Annual Early Recognition Ceremony was held on Sunday, November 5 at Nazareth College. The Early Recognition Program is a component of the Black Scholars Program where honorees must continue to meet the necessary requirements in order to be eligible, as graduating seniors, for recognition as Urban League Black Scholars. As sophomores, students must achieve an unweighted 9th grade cumulative GPA of “C+” (2.75) or better; juniors must achieve an unweighted cumulative GPA of a “B-” (2.85) or better for four semesters (9th and 10th grade); seniors must achieve an unweighted cumulative GPA of “B” (3.00) or better for seven semesters (9th, 10th, and 11th grade and first semester of 12th grade). Only grades earned in science, English, math, history and foreign languages are computed. Congratulations, and continue to strive for academic excellence!