The May 4th Legacy Scholarship Program was established by Kent State University in 2020, and provides four scholarships to be given to students majoring in our Peace and Conflict Studies program. Each scholarship bears the name of one of the students killed (Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder) to serve as a lasting testament to their lives and presence at Kent State.
Below are profiles of the scholarship recipients since the creation of this award.
May 4th Legacy Scholars for AY 2021-22
The School of Peace and Conflict studies is proud to recognize the four students who were selected to receive the May 4th Legacy Scholarships awarded in the spring of the 2021-22 academic year.
Jordan (Jo) Cottrill received the Allison Krause May 4th Legacy Scholarship.
Jo is a third-year undergraduate student who has spent all of her life living in Northeast Ohio. She has always been aware of the events of May 4th because of her physical proximity to the university, but it was her research work at Kent State that allowed her to become more deeply connected to it. In 2021, Jo was an intern for local grassroots organization Growing Democracy (co-led by Kent State professors Dr. Ashley Nickels and Dr. Casey Boyd-Swan), where some of her major contributions included online concept pages about the events of both May 4th and the Jackson State shootings. Jo writes, "I undertook a substantial amount of research to detail the chronology and impacts of each event, and it was largely through this process that the gravity of May 4th was cemented for me." As a research assistant for Dr. Sara Koopman, she has also helped create a walking tour for the Mapping May 4 project, an online oral history of the events leading up to and during that day. "I spent several hours listening to all of the stories to determine which to include in the tour, doing much of my work while sitting outside on campus. Listening to the first-hand accounts while being surrounded by the very spaces being discussed was a poignant reminder for me that May 4th and the people affected by it are not as far away as it may sometimes seem." Jo prioritizes carrying all of the lessons she's learned from May 4th into her future research and writing on peace and violence.
Jo plans to graduate in December 2023 with her BA in Peace and Conflict Studies.
Kouame Bouazi received the Jeffrey Miller May 4th Legacy Scholarship
Kouame Constant Bouazi has been a student in Peace and Conflict Studies since Spring 2021. He arrived in the United States in October 2015 from Côte d'Ivoire. Kouame talks about how his background has shaped his current path: "I am a lover of peace and a peace activist because of coming from a country that has experienced a military-politico crisis for 20 years. I have given myself the mission of becoming an ambassador for peace, hence my choice of this major. I had to give up business technology, my previous major, to fulfill my passion of working for peace and a better world. Peace is not an empty word but a behavior. In Cote d'Ivoire I was a volunteer teacher as part of my peace effort in 2006 to 2008 for war-displaced children and adults in areas under government control. Today studying Peace and Conflict Resolution is the biggest accomplishment of my life. It is a great joy to accept the Jeffrey Miller May 4th Legacy Scholarship award."
Melissa Wallick received the Sandra Scheuer May 4th Legacy Scholarship
From Medina, Ohio, Melissa is a recent transfer into the School of Peace and Conflict Studies. She found this major after taking a PACS intro course, which left a profound impact on her life. Having a passion for caring and connecting with others, Melissa is excited to see where this experience takes her. She is honored to receive this scholarship as the events of May 4th have special meaning to her as she explains, “My grandmother was a student here and my great uncle visited the campus in the aftermath. Their stories are a reminder that while life is so fragile, we are immensely powerful and strong when we come together.”
She will utilize this generous scholarship in the fall to work towards her degree. She looks forward to growing as a student and person in the SPCS program and promoting peace and change here at Kent and throughout her life.
Ekklesia Jenkins received the William Schroeder May 4th Legacy Scholarship
Ekklesia Jenkins transferred to Kent in Spring 2020, after obtaining a certificate in Conflict Resolution & Peace Studies and her Associate of Arts degree at Cuyahoga Community College. Ekklesia explains: "I chose to transfer to Kent State University because of my major and the history of May 4th. Reflecting, if I did not major in Peace and Conflict Studies, I probably wouldn’t know much about May 4th at all because the information isn’t as accessible as it could be. Making resources accessible for the masses is an aspiration of mine. I believe through technology I can impact the most people; so, I will be pursuing inclusive product design after graduation this summer. I want to make sure that products are inclusive, accessible, and sustainable; In hopes of improving people’s quality of life, including my own."
Ekklesia plans to graduate in Summer 2022 with her BA in Peace and Conflict Studies; with a minor in Human Sexuality.
Congratulations to all four scholarship recipients!