CAASSIE Fall 2017 Scholarship Awards Announced

The CAASSIE Leadership Team is honored to introduce you to the recipients of our Fall 2017 CAASSIE Scholarships.

Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we were able to award scholarships from our invested scholarship fund to six Southwestern College students. Each scholarship award was $500.

We thank our volunteer scholarship readers, staff and faculty, who reviewed student applications, essays and references. Finally, we would like to thank our scholarship selection committee for taking time from their busy schedules, during finals week, to interview students and select our final scholarship winners.

Meet Our Fall 2017 CAASSIE Scholars

Daisianetta Hodge

Award: CAASSIE - Laverne Cumby Memorial Scholarship
Major: Nursing
GPA: 3.0
Currently, I work as a contracted LVN for the County of San Diego in a mental health clinic. I am also completing the LVN to RN Step Up program to obtain my Associates of Registered Nursing Degree. Upon successfully completing this program, I will become a full time Mental Health RN for the County of San Diego. I will continue to further my education by enrolling in a BSN program. I ultimately plan to become a Psych Doctor of Nurse Practitioner.

Kheriya Mohammed

Award: CAASSIE - Laverne Cumby Memorial Scholarship
Major: Nursing
GPA: 3.9
I came to the US from Ethiopia in 2007 with the hope of getting a chance to continue higher education. My career choice is and always has been nursing, since childhood. This is because I saw my dad suffering from a chronic disease. I watched the nurses taking care of him.  Even though my dad didn't make it, they left quite an impression in my mind. Once I get my Associate Degree in Nursing, I am planning to transfer to San Diego State University and get by Bachelor Science degree in Nursing. My ultimate goal is to become a Nurse Practitioner.  I currently work as a Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) picking up shifts once or twice a week.

Hanan Ali

Award: CAASSIE - Lurie Center Memorial Scholarship
Major: Biotechnology
GPA: 3.9
Ambition and hope for a better future are the most prevalent themes in my life. From a young age, I reached for the highest accolades in everything I did. At Southwestern College I'm working toward completing my pre-med requirements and getting an A in all of my classes. I hope to transfer to an elite institution such as Cornell, Duke or USC.  I want to serve my community with the Affordable healthcare it desperately needs. My focus will be on preventing the serious medical issues the Black community in the United States and back in African face because of inadequate access to quality healthcare.

Kristyn Smith

Award: CAASSIE - SWC Black Alliance Student Excellence Scholarship
Major: Business Administration
GPA: 4.0
My current educational goal is to obtain an Associates' Degree in Accounting from Southwestern College. After obtaining my AA, I plan to transfer to San Diego State University or University of Southern California.  My parents were blessed with triplets, which tripled our college costs. My brothers and I attend Southwestern College. I ran for and was elected Southwestern College Associated Students President. I love volunteering and have always been active in my community. In 2016, I had the honor of receiving the Girl Scout Gold Award.  I am very organized, committed and goal oriented. I love life and I am driven and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve my goals.

Kahlil Adisa

Award: CAASSIE - Close the Gap Scholarship
Major: Administration of Justice
GPA: 4.0
My educational objectives are to transfer with an associate's degree to either UC Irvine for criminology or SDSU for Criminal Justice. I would like to further my knowledge and understanding of systematic racism and institutionalized racism along with other inequities that exist within the American judicial system. Through my vision within campus leadership roles I have led the charge by helping organize and facilitate campus-wide workshops and events.  I serve as an advocate for first generation underrepresented students. I also serve as the president of the Black Brotherhood Leadership Association (B2LA); created to address the systematic challenges facing African American male students at Southwestern College, as well as provide them with the necessary resources to excel academically and personally. I am also the Vice-President of the Black Student Union.

Nabressa Lilly

Award: CAASSIE - SWC Black Alliance Student Excellence Scholarship
Major:  Psychology
GPA: 3.5
My educational goals are to graduate in spring with a degree in psychology, attend UCSD for psychology, and either attend medical school and become a psychiatrist or attend grad school and become a psychologist. I hope to be able to serve communities of color, the LGBTQ+community, and veterans in a mental health capacity. I work on campus in the Office of Equity, Diversity, and inclusion because it's a field that I became passionate about in high school. I am the president of Southwestern College's Black Student Union. As president, my goals are: student leadership development and fostering understanding of diverse cultures on campus.

Our Scholarship Selection Committee

From left to right: Jonathan Higa (Staff, Associated Student Organization) | Abdimalik Buul (Counselor) | Myesha Jackson (Staff, Instructional Support Services) | Jonathan King (Dean, School of Counseling & Student Support Programs)