The Minnesota Private College Council awarded two Hamline University students with Phillips Scholarships this spring. Each year, the MPCC awards the scholarships to ten students from 15 eligible Minnesota private colleges and universities. Both Hamline nominees were selected this year.
The one-year scholarship program provides students with a $5,000 college scholarship, a $4,000 summer 2023 stipend, a $500 supply stipend and a series of training and engagement sessions. Students are free to use their summer funds to pursue a project that meets real needs.
Winners Anthony Meng ‘23 and Dasiyah Franklin-Carter ‘24 are in the early stages of refining their summer 2023 project proposals.
Meng plans to focus his efforts on food justice and sovereignty, potentially partnering with a local community organization to work toward improving food accessibility in the Twin Cities.
“I personally find that food plays a deep role in our identity and how we see ourselves,” Meng said. “Furthermore, how we eat is important too. Since eating is a personal and intimate act that we share with ourselves and with our family, friends, and community, it becomes a form of care and testament to the stories we hold.”
Franklin-Carter plans to develop an initiative that empowers youth to take action in their neighborhoods through service activities in collaboration with a local organization.
“Growing up surrounded by such devastation (drug usage and homelessness in her area) ignited a fire to see change as a high school student,” Franklin-Carter said. “I wrote to the mayor, participated in park clean-ups; moreover, I knew there were ways I could make a difference through my local community center … This scholarship is providing me with the perfect opportunity to expand and allow more students in the Phillips neighborhood to participate in a service project that will empower youth to know how to take action and restore hope for the East Phillips community.”
Both Meng and Franklin-Carter expressed gratitude for the guidance they received from faculty, staff and mentors. Franklin-Carter singled out her off-campus mentor, Demaya Walton, and Meng cited support from Dr. Susi Keefe, assistant professor of public health sciences and sociology, and Cheryl Dooley, assistant director of financial aid.
“I also want to acknowledge and express gratitude to the tutors at the Writing Center and my peers for helping me look over and improve on my application answers,” Meng said. “I strongly believe without the support of all of these wonderful people, the Phillips Scholarship wouldn't have been possible. It takes a village, and I am so deeply grateful for such support.”
