McDaniel-CollegeBound Scholarships awarded to five Baltimore City high school seniors

Brenda Arevalo, a senior at Digital Harbor High School, is described as having a tireless work ethic and an analytical vision that is evident in her writing. She is the captain and mentor for her soccer team through Soccer Without Borders and worked in the World Languages Department at Morgan State University through a summer internship program at CASA Maryland, which entailed helping to create materials for beginner Spanish-speaking students. While she has learned the importance of surrounding herself with the right people to assist in making good choices, her mom has also taught her to respect others and with strength she can overcome any adversity. Aspiring to travel the world, Arevalo hopes to study abroad in the United Kingdom or Spain and work in the field of international business.

Lauren Dixon, a senior at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, is a multitasker who balances two part-time jobs while maintaining a 4.45 GPA in all honors and advanced placement classes. She’s completing Polytechnic Institute’s Project Lead the Way Program in Engineering and was recognized in 2019 with the Certificate of Greatness in Civil Engineering and Architecture. She’s also been the manager of her school’s volleyball team since 10th grade. Dixon’s desire to lead is not due to wanting others to follow her but rather to ensure that everyone’s voice and opinion has a forum to be heard. In the future, she hopes to be successful in business while also engaging in helping homeless communities in the United States and South America. Getting more resources and finding out the needs of each community to help improve the lives of people is her greatest wish.

Amya Jones, a senior at Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School, is known for her vivacious voice during the morning announcements and for being the first in her senior class GPA ranking. Aside from her stellar academics, Jones is actively involved as a contributor to her school’s marching band drumline, swim team, mock trial, and softball team as well as has taken on leadership roles as the community law in action leader and assistant manager of the robotics team. She was previously selected as “Scholar of the Week” by the CollegeBound Foundation and started a virtual mentorship program during COVID-19 that has taught young Black men and women what they can achieve. For nearly three years, she has been employed at the same insurance agency and continues to grow her professional skills. Jones wants high school students to know there is nothing wrong with being different and to stay focused on what matters.

Morgan Wilder, a senior at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, is part of Polytechnic Institute’s Ingenuity Project and was in the top 10% of incoming ninth-graders who took on entirely all honors and advanced placement STEM-focused curriculum all four years. In 2019, she conducted research through the Summer Academic Research Experience at Johns Hopkins University. At her school, Wilder is the captain of the cheerleading team, treasurer of her class, part of the lacrosse team, and serves as a member of Ingenuity’s SQUAD that focuses on life challenges and mental health. She has worked and been promoted at her part-time job within the last two years, while also caring for her two younger siblings. Wilder is known for her perseverance, confidence, and diligence as setting her on the path to success. Passionate about chemistry, she hopes to go to medical school and begin a residency in 10 years.

Adero Wilkes, a senior at Mergenthaler Vocational Technical High School, is known as compassionate, caring, and mature. When she saw a teacher struggling with new technology at the beginning of the pandemic, she reached out to offer help. Wilkes is a member of her school’s track team and a math tutor in Algebra 2 and Pre-Calculus. On top of her extracurriculars, she has strived to take on more rigorous academic classes and fit advanced placement courses into her schedule to prepare for college success. She is part of the Building STEPS (Science Technology and Education Partnerships, Inc.) program that has given her greater exposure to STEM-related fields. Wilkes will graduate as a Career Technical Education completer and has achieved a national cosmetology license, which required her to attain 1,500 internship hours, in addition to her high school diploma. She aspires to be a veterinarian.