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The Seneca High School graduate was awarded $30,000 from the JCPS Employee-Sponsored Student Scholarship Fund
For Deja Andrews, the thrill of starting college in 2020 quickly gave way to uncertainty.
“My whole dynamic changed: from living in Louisville with my mom to living in Michigan with my grandma; from being used to in-person school to online interaction my first year of college,” she recalled. “The reality was either to adapt and do better, or stay the same and struggle. So I spent most of my first year getting back into the swing of things and being understanding to myself.”
Fortunately for Deja, adapting to circumstances is one of her strengths.
By the time the 2020 Seneca graduate had started high school, she had already attended five elementary and three middle schools, “ping-ponging back and forth” between her mother’s and grandparent’s homes in Louisville and Michigan. Deja moved back to Michigan last fall so she could help her grandmother while attending college, where she is majoring in biology on a pre-med track.
The assistance she received from the JCPS Employee-Sponsored Student Scholarship Fund – $30,000 over the course of four years – will help her reach those dreams.
“This scholarship fund helped me with so much,” Deja said. “The fact that I don’t have to worry about the financial burden of school is a privilege. It gives me reason to want to do better because people believed in me and gave me a chance. I’m proud to be a JCPS alumnus.”
She added that although the first year was a challenge, it was “an experience that I am grateful to have been a part of.”
“Although it was hard, my courage to dare and adapt is one of the many reasons why I can’t wait for the next semester.”