Wave Magazine Online Jacksonville University News Hub
Je’Nisa Waugh, a computer art and design sophomore with a specialization in graphic design at Jacksonville University, has been awarded a $2,400 UPS Scholarship provided through the Florida Independent College Fund.
Waugh, daughter of Victor Waugh and Sherneth Wright-Pickens and stepdaughter of Troy Pickens, is a first-generation American with a Jamaican background. She graduated from John I. Leonard High School in West Palm Beach in the top 5 percent of her class, and with National Honor Society honors.
While attending high school, she took computer courses at Palm Beach State College and was a member of the Computer Technology Academy, where she began to take an interest in web design, she said. Her other activities include music and playing the piano.
At JU, she is a member of the TRiO Student Success program and is employed at the Career Development Center.
“I feel very grateful for this opportunity,” she said.
Cherry Stallworth, director of Jacksonville University’s TRiO Student Support Services, called Waugh “an outstanding student who is very serious about her education.”
“She takes advantage of the opportunities that will enable her to succeed in her academic career here at JU. Since she has been a participant of the TRiO Student Support Services Program, she has become acclimated to the JU campus and developed relationships with her peers.”
The Florida Independent College Fund is a statewide association for private colleges and universities that is affiliated with the Council of Independent Colleges. At the national level, the council teams up with the UPS Foundation to distribute funding of the UPS Scholarship. This year, CIC awarded nearly $1.5 million in scholarships from its UPS Educational Endowment Fund to private institutions of higher learning across the nation, including a grant of $74,400 to the Florida Independent College Fund. These scholarships are awarded on the basis of the students’ academic achievement and financial need.
“Through this national scholarship program, CIC and UPS are delighted to make it possible for 609 deserving young men and women to attend the private college or university of their choice,” said Richard Ekman, president of CIC. “By directly assisting students with significant financial need, CIC and UPS are helping a new generation of students achieve their dreams of a college education.”
“UPS is proud to continue that spirit of giving by partnering with CIC to support thousands of students working to become the leaders of tomorrow by obtaining an education from our nation’s independent colleges,” said Eduardo Martinez, president of The UPS Foundation.