Scholar Spotlight

Albany Georgia Area
Mitchell County High School

Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia | Class of 2018
Major: BS in Criminology/Criminal Justice

Headed back to get my Masters in Psychology to become a school counselor.
​Also working on publishing a children’s book.

Brianna Banks-McLean | Since 2017

Marin City, California
Tamalpias High School | Class of 2015

College of Marin, Kenfield, California | Class of 2018
Associate of Science, Architecture
University of California, Davis
Bachelor of Science – Sustainable Environmental Design | 2018-2020
University of California, Berkeley candidate for Masters of Architecture | 2021 – Present

     My interest in sustainability and design began as a young adult. My grandfather – an Architect in Sausalito, CA – inspired me to think critically and inventively about the function and design of the structures where we spend our lives. I wanted to create spaces that were equally functional and alluring. I developed an interest in photography towards the end of my high school and beginning of my college career as a way to enhance my visual design skills.
     September of 2018 I transferred to the University of California, Davis, entering as a Sustainable Environmental Design student eager to understand the sustainable implications of design and architecture. Within my studies, I have continued to use and further refine my digital media and design skills, utilizing softwares like SketchUp, AutoCAD, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Revit, and Rhino to both physically and graphically present my work.
     In 2020 I worked as a Sustainable Architectural Designer, designing everything from Feminist Healing Gardens for Research Institutes to Accessible Seating for the Manetti Shrem Museum.
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As of January 2021 I began working toward my Masters of Architecture degree at the University of California, Berkeley.

San Rafael, California
Terra Linda High School
San Francisco State University, Class of 2017

Bachelor of Arts | Film/Cinema/Video Studies

Independent Filmmaker
Yoel Iskindir Productions
     The three areas I’m experienced in are media production, education, and media education.
In a society where many of us exist as the “other,” my goal as a filmmaker is to create thought-provoking, challenging work, where we can explore our world on screen.
​     In Dec 2020, I joined the faculty at San Domenico School in San Anselmo, California where I independently oversee the entire Film Department. This includes designing a hybrid curriculum for in person, virtual, and international students; supervising our vast equipment inventory; and bringing a diverse perspective to students of all backgrounds. It is an honor to work with adaptable educators who have allowed the school to be one of the few remaining open during the global pandemic.

I bring a dedication to social justice and community uplift to every space I work.

Albany, Georgia
Monroe Comprehensive High School

Albany Technical College, Class of 2018
Major: Radiologic Technology
Living and woking in Albany, GA as a radiologic technologist.
​Reenrolled to further studies in radiology with computed tomography.

Albany, Georgia

Westover Comprehensive High School | Class of 2012
Georgia Southern University Statesboro, Georgia | Class of 2016
Medical College of Georgia, Medical Doctorate | 2016 – Present

As I reflect on taking the Hippocratic oath when I graduated from medical school, I see that, in a way, this oath is a physician’s verbal contract to consider social responsibility when practicing medicine. As a future pediatrician, I will be charged not only with taking care of children, but often the family unit. My goal is to empower parents & guardians with knowledge on how best to keep their children safe and healthy, eventually leading to healthy adults who are productive members of society.

I’m choosing to personalize that Hippocratic oath to encompass my beliefs and duties to society as a whole.

Albany, Georgia
Monroe Comprehensive High School | 2011
Savannah State University, Savannah, Georgia, 2011-2015
Bachelor’s degree, General Biology

Growing up in Albany, Georgia no one ever talked about HIV and if they ever did it was rooted in stigma and misinformation. Since my early college days, I’ve dedicated my work to informing and educating people about HIV. Whether it be administering an OralQuick HIV Test, providing technical assistance to community educators at clinical research sites, taking call minutes on an HPTN CWG call, to now helping to expand Treatment Action Group’s HIV community engagement. Every day I wake up and choose to be a part of the change to end HIV. I am thankful for POZ 100 for honoring me as a top 100 HIV advocate.

Albany, Georgia
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Westover Comprehensive High School | Class of 2010
University of Georgia, Athens | Class of 2014
Bachelor of Science – BS, Biological Sciences, B.S.A. | 2010-2014
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut | Doctor of Medicine – MD, | 2015 – 2020

Finishing up his Psychiatry Residency at Yale New Haven Hospital, New Haven Connecticut.

Shoutout to all the women in medicine. The stats are dismal and we have to make changes.

Oakley, California

Freedom High School | Class of 2020
University of California, Berkeley | Class of 2024
Major | B.S. Public Health
Study Abroad: University of Ghana  |  Pan Afrikan Social Movements: Past, Present and Future
Awarded the State Department’s Gilman Scholarship 

Read more from Fanta
Fanta’s Powerpoint on Finding More Money for College

FROM FANTA’S HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY:
     Throughout my childhood, my mom stressed the correlation between education and one’s advancement in society. She referenced our Sierra Leonean (West African) culture to ingrain the concept of our privilege to receive quality education free of cost—with the help of scholarships—and encouraged us to make the most of this gift. The sole fact that I was born in America allows my life to have a completely different trajectory than my family members who are my age in Sierra Leone.
     In addition to the need for education, there is a desperate need for health care reform; we need a bigger focus on lowering the disparity between healthcare systems in developing nations with concrete changes in policy and implementation. This has had a monumental impact on my career goals. While majoring in either public health or biology, I will work to gain knowledge to help dismantle barriers and create real solutions.
     I want to become a physician and use my knowledge and platform to influence public policy. Although it will be some time before I become a physician, I’ll focus on my background as a source of motivation to change the the way we look at healthcare in the US and across the globe.

Bainbridge, Georgia
Bainbridge High School
Albany State University | Class of 2009
B.S. Biology

Living and working in Atlanta, Georgia Area as as Patient Care Coordinator and Patient Account Representative at Atlanta Center for Reproductive Medicine.

Dawson, Georgia
Terrell County High School
Morehouse College, Atlanta,Georgia | Class of 2020

Boston University School of Public Health | Masters  | Class of 2022

Major: Biology
Gates Millennium Scholars Program | May 2016 – Present

   I graduated from Boston University School of Public Health obtaining an additional degree before applying to medical school. I believe having the skills to assess a patient’s health, lifestyle, and living environment are important to understanding and treating them effectively. For example, if a patient has issues of difficulty breathing and rash, knowing the environment in which they live their everyday life can be paramount in diagnosing them (allergies, asthma, etc.) This would also give me time to seek additional funding for medical school—since as we all know—it can be extremely expensive.

Augusta, Georgia

Westover High School, Albany, Georgia | 2013

University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia/ Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources, Recreation and Tourism

I am interested in the way humans interact with the environment and increasing environmental access for minority and underprivileged communities. I currently engage this passion through environmental education for youth, from ages 8 to 19. I also create natural resource- themed art and writing. In 2022 I premiered my first solo museum gallery show titled: The Real and The Ideal. In this exhibit I created artwork from recycled items and highlighted native plants and animals of Georgia.

In 2022, my first piece of writing was published by the Waterman Fund. It is an essay entitled: The Tragedy of the Common Peoples, and it celebrates and uplifts the ways in which people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, and other minorities help to protect the environment.

Currently, in my day job life, I am Associate Procurement Specialist , purchasing items for the University of Georgia’s multiple campuses.

Albany, Georgia
Dougherty High School
Albany State University | Class of 2012

    As one of the very first recipients of the Gaines-Jones Scholars scholarship, I am proud to have served on the Board of Directors since 2017.
​    Since 2021, I have been employed by the Dougherty County School System as Data & Technology Specialist at Monroe Comprehensive High School in Albany, GA. I also taught Grade 5 Social Studies at Radium Springs Elementary; where I attended. In 2011, I was afforded the opportunity to teach in Ghana West Africa through the Global Social Responsibility Practicum. In 2022, I was extremely honored to receive the Barbara Ann Roehrick Teacher-of-the Year Award from Gaines-Jones Scholars in memory of our Founder, Rob Roehrick’s mother.

My daily professional interactions embody the very tenets upon which Gaines-Jones’ mission stands—education and youth advocacy.

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San Rafael, California
Marin Academy, Class of 2018
Bard College, Annadale-on-Hudson, New York
Class of 2022 |  Major ~ Environmental Science      

     During my four years at Bard College, I focused on the intersections of environment, economics, and human rights, culminating in my thesis on Sewage Contamination Vulnerability, and received the Christopher Wise ’92 Award in Environmental Studies and Human Rights.
     Beginning Fall 2022, I will begin graduate school, attending the Erasmus Mundus JM Programe on Coastal Hazards, Risks, Climate Change, and Adaptation. This two -year program takes place in three countries: Universidad de Cantabria in Santander, Spain; IHE Delft Institute for Water Education in Delft, Netherlands and the Universidade do Algarve in Faro, Portugal.

My goal is to help create solutions that will ease transitions in communities adjusting to climate change.

Albany, Georgia
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Albany High School | 2012 Valedictorian
Darton College | 2011 – 2012
Honors Teaching Assistant |The University of Georgia
2013 – 2016

• University of Georgia, Athens | 2012-2016
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
• Atrium Health-Carolinas Medical Center, Graduate Medical Education, Dept of OBGYN
2016 – Present

As an individual who has always been deeply motivated by a desitre to make a positive impact on the world around me, social responsibility plays a tremendous role in my major career and life decisions. The world, our country, and our communities all have much room for improvement and life is short. athus, the opportunities to sow seeds of kindness and positive change are limited. It’s essential to live intentionally and sow those seed through the actions of our daily lives.

Currently attending University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Novato, California
San Domenico High School
San Anselmo, California
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Howard University, Class of 2021

Bachelor of Science, Biology: Minor: Chemistry & Spanish
Spent a 2019 semester abroad in Medellín, Colombia through International Studies Abroad.
From September 2021-present, I am working as Oligonucleotide Production Technician at LGC, Biosearch Technologies performing solid-phase synthesis of custom oligonucleotides in a high-throughput phosphoramidite chemistry laboratory.

Pittsburg High School | 2020
Alabama State University | Class of 2024
Sociology Major

FROM NICK’S HIGH SCHOOL ESSAY:
     Our family motto is faith, family and education. I started volunteering at a young age at my church. A lot of other kids did not live with their parents, and one day someone used the words foster parent. I asked my parents and they explained. At the time the answer was beyond my depth, but I knew these kids were not as blessed to have a family such as mine.
     I am attending Alabama State University, majoring in Sociology to pursue a career as a social worker because I want to dedicate my life to advocating for those who cannot advocate for themselves.
     For some, college is a dream, but for me it’s not about wishing for it but working for it. Nelson Mandela state that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
I plan on using my weapon to make a difference in the lives of others.

Oakland, California
Marin Academy, San Rafael, California
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California
Major: African American Studies, Double Minor: Political Science & Journalism

     I am a mission-driven professional with a keen ability to strategize and problem solve. I have extensive knowledge in real estate and project management, having worked in various parts of the industry over the past 3 years.
     Colleagues recognize me for my aptitude for communication with diverse audiences and empathy. Additional qualities I have harnessed are marketing, event production, negotiating, and data analysis.
     I am committed to exposing myself and others to the wide array of opportunities in the world. Whether it is engaging community leaders, producing events, strategizing real estate opportunities, writing stories, sharing travel knowledge on social media, or planning international itineraries.
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Curiosity fuels my commitment to effectiveness.