Scholarships

Scholarships

2025 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION

 

The Rochester West Indian Festival Organization, Inc. was founded in 1984 to preserve cultural heritage among Caribbean people and their descendants and to share this culture with the Greater Rochester community. RWIFO, Inc. is dedicated to our youth's educational success and building a strong Caribbean Community, Culturally, Socially, and Financially. The Organization will share its success by offering scholarships to deserving minority graduating high school seniors of the Greater Rochester area.

  • Seven financial awards ranging from $1,000 to $1,500 will be awarded to graduating seniors to go towards their college education at an accredited college. Six $1,000 scholarships will be awarded based on academic merit.
     
  • One $1,500 scholarship, the Mary Thompson Community Service Award, will be awarded to a student who has performed outstanding community service in memory of Mary Thompson, founding member and first RWIFO president.

 

 

Scholarship Eligibility and Selection Criteria

  • Applicant must be a resident of Monroe County.
  • Applicant must be of West Indian descent/origin. One or both parents or grandparents must be Caribbean with family roots from: Aruba, Antiqua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Cayman Islands, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, Curacao, Bonaire, Dominica, Turks and Caicos, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Guyana, Martinique, Saint Lucia, US Virgin Islands,
  • Applicant must be a graduating high school senior.
  • Applicant must demonstrate high academic achievement with a grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better.
  • Applicant must be committed to entering a college or university in the Fall of 2025. To qualify for the scholarship, the student must apply and start college in the fall of 2025.
  • Applicant must submit TWO letters of recommendation:
    • One from a high school counselor or current teacher.
    • One from a community leader, a former teacher, supervisor, or mentor, etc..
  • Applicant must submit an official transcript from high school, which includes:
    • Senior grades to date
    • Grade point average
       

Scholarship recipients will be selected based on their academic performance, community involvement, extracurricular activities, and essay responses.

Due Date: May 2, 2025 by 5:00pm

For more information, email scholarship@rwifo.org

 

Past Scholarship Recipients
* Indicates Mary Thompson Scholarship Recipients

2024

  • NyAshia Boxx
  •  Alana Crittenden
  • Christian Garcia
  • Savion Meeks
     

2023

  • Elijah Delgado
  • Ana Fontana
  • Brineeya McGrady
  • Providence Simbi
  • Elani Spencer *
     

2022

  • Jade Salmon
  • Kadejah Watson
  • Arianna McKnight
  • Alejandro Boxx
  • Eriel Young
  • Giorden Martin

 

2021

  • Justin Anderson
  • Simone Baptiste
  • Pamela Barais
  • Locksley Milwood *
  • Sierra Stevens
  • Reya Thomspon

 

2020

  • Giovan McKnight
  • Basil Barrett Jr.
  • Joshua Santangelo
  • Sara Morcos
  • Khiara Howard

 

2019

  • Kelechi Dimgba
  • Donesha Gyles
  • Elysyia Hinds
  • Tatiana Jose-Santos
  • Savannah Martin
  • Nyelah O’Meally
  • Kyle Taylor
  • Elyse Spencer
  • Kynesha Milwood *

 

2018

  • Kevonna Buchanan
  • Ayana Gordon
  • Dassy Kemedijio
  • Sapphire Lumley
  • Michael Nicosia
  • Filicia Sinclair
  • Nya Thompson
  • Kaycee Viator

 

2017

  • Sydney Barrett
  • Kobe Barthelemy
  • Emani Clark
  • Te’vanni Davidson
  • Jinnelle Dowlatt
  • Jizzele Dowlatt
  • Sierra Pascoe

 

2016

  • Javiaire Barr
  • Mahogany Florence
  • Jacob Gilbert-Mahoney
  • Amber Lavies
  • Atiba McLaren
  • Nicholas Walker

 

2015

  • Goitom Alay
  • Phalyn Hayward
  • Kingsley Ibezim
  • Malik Lampart
  • Eric Lee
  • Ajia McIntyre
  • Jordann Myers
  • Terrance Richards

 

2014

  • Deodrick Barnes
  • Shaniece Blair
  • Mecca Crumity
  • Iireyel Girrens
  • Andrew Hylton
  • Ayana McLaren
  • Elton Ward
  • Kristina Williams

 

2013

  • Desire Lynn Campbell
  • Shantinque Cowans
  • Kiana Dash
  • Shauntice Lawman
  • Devon Pascoe
  • Yahkabed Rivera
  • Nneka Southwell
  • Heather Stokes
  • Imarie Waller
  • Isaiah Wilson

 

2012

  • Jasmine Williams
  • Claire Barnwell
  • Asante Brown
  • Shantinique DePass
  • Camaria Long
  • Ruth Lopez
  • Nigel Walker

 

2011

  • Kadisha Phillips
  • Zharise Bryant
  • Tiffani Gatson
  • Ashley Jones
  • Kingsley Nwokelo
  • Monique Uthman

 

2010

  • Darin Carter
  • Robertha Barnes
  • Brittany Lawson
  • Yvonne Monnu
  • Bianca Okafor
  • Marina Tadros

 

2009

  • Brandon McDonald
  • Marissa Balonon-Rosen
  • Jonathan Benjamin
  • Tiffany Blake
  • Patricia Dyce
  • Christian Gonzalez
  • Jazmyn Haywood
  • Mariah James
  • Marikka Joseph
  • Jaquaalah Smith
  • Arianne Walker (RWIFO President 2017 to 2020) 
  • Chelsea Watson

 

2008

  • Devon Brown
  • Dannea Dixon
  • Coralis Dominguez
  • Michelle Fletcher
  • Jasmine Mitchell
  • Anna Nwokelo
  • Eboni Robinson
  • Alexis Walker
  • Jalisa Bell
  • Adria Crosdale
  • Imoh Ikpot
  • Anne France Pierre
  • Alyshia Thomas

 

2007

  • Alisha Balkum
  • Shemeka Elliott
  • Jennelle Jones-Mitchell
  • Sherrita McWilkins
  • Mekal Ogbeab
  • Matthew Scott
  • Dorrett Taylor

 

2005

  • Roshida Coxx
  • Keisha Dobney
  • Jonathan Holmes
  • Tamara John
  • Frehiwot Kebede

 

2004

  • Tiffany Bryant
  • Christopher Holmes
  • Nicole Lewis
  • Jermaine Martin
  • Nora Martin

 

2003

  • Kiersten Blair
  • Arel Gordon
  • Jessica Isaac
  • Omar Rouchon
  • Ranon Thompson