The Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Scholarship was started by the Association of African American Faculty and Staff at UCM in 1994. Each year, UCM alumni and patrons donate to the scholarship, which financially awards three students involved in community building in Warrensburg and their home communities. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Scholarship Banquet was held on January 16, presented by Dr. Lover Chancler and Dr. Shari Box. From the St. Louis-area, J’Nyah Elbert, Tia Flenoy, and Jaren Williams received the scholarship based on their essays written about Dr. King’s work and their definition of freedom and unity. The Scholarship is available to any full-time undergraduate student or any incoming freshman.
J’Nyah Elbert, Public Relations and Strategic Communications major, believes the scholarship is an important achievement.
“To win the award meant a lot, not only because it poured into the final part of school but because I got to make a mark and be recognized because of my viewings, my story, and my leadership,” Elbert said. “As African American, people look at how far we’ve come as people, and some people like myself look to add anywhere we can to be a part of the upbringing and success of black people, so winning awards like this, means a lot.”
From left to right: Lover Chancler, J’Nyah Elbert, Tia Flenoy, and Shari Bax. J’Nyah Elbert, Tia Flenoy, and Jaren Williams were honored with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Scholarships during the MLK Freedom Scholarship Banquet held at the University of Central Missouri on January 16. Photo By: Regina Robinson
The MLK Freedom Scholarship Banquet celebrates the legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The event featured honorees and artistic performances at the Elliott Student Union on January 16. Photo By: Mingzhu Zhu
Tia Flenoy, majoring in Criminal Justice with a minor in Computer Science, is a transfer student from St. Louis Community College. Flenoy expresses how recognized they had felt in their community while being on UCM campus.
“When I put the prompt in there, I thought about being here on campus. They took me in when I was part time student with my credits, so having the freedom to actually come to college and to get the experience and have those mistakes I can make, I can grow into my own person being here,” Flenoy said.
Elbert and Flenoy mentioned UCM’s Director of the Center of Multiculturalism and Inclusivity Lover Chancler is their biggest influence when it came to applying for the scholarship. Many students come to Chancler in order to set themselves up for success, get involved, and feel heard.
“Dr. Chancler is one of my biggest influences. She gave me a chance,” Elbert said. Flenoy expresses how Chancler made them feel powerful as a student to get to know and understand their community better.
“Community to me is everyone working together for the greater good. Whether that is to make a space where everyone feels included, as well as understanding that not everybody is going to be the same. But, every individual characteristic brought into it makes a community,” Flenoy said.
