$2000 Academic Scholarship Recipient

Daija Shalayla Coles, 2013 graduate of the Environmental Science Magnet at Western School of Technology and Environmental Science in Baltimore, Maryland, received the SHSAA, Inc. $2000 Academic Scholarship. Her selection to the school was through a competitive process which required,, first of all, teacher recommendation and strong grades in middle school followed by: completing an application, writing a personal essay and interviewing with a Western faculty member. Daija is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Black of Columbia, Maryland. She was an exceptional student-always on the Honor Roll – achieving a 3.07 un-weighted GPA on a 4.0 scale in rigorous college preparatory classes and scoring 1580 on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Daija actively participated in diverse extracurricular activities, namely: Animal Rights Club/Vegetarian Club, Feed The Homeless, Girls’ Varsity Basketball Team, SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving), Milford Mill Academy Marching Band – Drum Major/Flutist/Dancer, AAU Basketball League, Coaches Award for 2011-2012 season, 1st Girls’ Basketball State Championship at Western Tech. Daija is now an “Aggie” on the campus of North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina where she majors in Animal Science.