300 African-American Madison students honored at Madison Technical College | News

MADISON (WKOW) – On Sunday, 300 African-American students boldly walked across the stage at Madison Technical College. These students were awarded for their academic achievements and social involvement.

The Madison Metropolitan Wisconsin Chapter of Links has been hosting this event for 30 years. On Sunday, in-person celebrations were held for the first time since the pandemic. The organization’s goal is to highlight the achievements of Black and Brown students by demonstrating the dreams of their ancestors being realized.

“We do this because we want to recognize their excellence. Many of these children will become doctors, lawyers and teachers, and we want to tell that story,” said Nia Trammell, president of the Madison Metropolitan Wisconsin Chapter of Links.

Among the students honored was Sodik Gbadamassi, who will be a graduate of Vel Philips Memorial High School. In the fall, he will enroll at Hampton University, majoring in business finance.

“I feel great being first generation,” Gbadamassi said. “Education is highly valued in my family, so earning these honors and achievements is very special to me.”

The organization also provided $500 to $1,000 scholarships totaling $17,000 each.

“Knowing that everyone understands all the work I’ve put in is a really important thing to me,” said Ameria Scott, who will attend Morgan State University for Business Administration in the fall. “Getting recognized from the black community means even more to me.”

For many students, these scholarships will go toward tuition, books, or room and board.

“I will use it towards college tuition because I plan to become a physical therapist, and that will require graduate school,” added Elias Howlett, who will study exercise science at UW-Eau Claire this coming fall.

Middle school students in the audience had the opportunity to imagine themselves on stage receiving scholarships after graduating from high school.

“I feel honored, but being in college and having a lot of people watching me walk across the stage makes me feel really good,” said Taraji Williams, who is a junior in high school and wants to be a hair stylist when she grows up. .

Several community leaders were also in attendance, including the president of the Madison Metropolitan School Board and the president of Madison Technical College.

The keynote speaker at this year’s event was One City Schools Founder and CEO Kaleem Caire.