2022 Scholarship Award Recipient

Ryan Bates
Ryan Bates is a 17 year old senior at Paul VI High School in Haddonfield, NJ. She is very involved at her school. Ryan iscurrently holding the highest office of presidency in our student council organization. She is also the head leader of the African American History Club, where she continues to fight for racial equality in her school by making the difference in African American students. Ryan is also a peer mentor. The position she holds is mentoring incoming freshman and showing them how to be in a new environment.
Ryan was recently inducted this year into the National Honors Society at her high school for achieving excellent grades.
Outside of school Ryan does many things. She is the 1st vice president of the Camden County East Youth Council. Ryan is also the 1st vice president of the youth and college of New Jersey for the NAACP. This is very special to her, because this was the first time in 10 years that we were able to have a state council, because we encouraged many of the chapters to be in compliance. We hold more youth councils in New Jersey than most of the other states.
Ryan is also very active in Teenshop Inc. where she is a mentor, which means that she helps the girls in her group. Ryan is a 5 year participant in this program and is happy to be a mentor and encourage all the girls that come after her. In 2019, Ryan won the Teenshop leadership award.
Her goal is to become an obstetrician gynecologist. Ryan has wanted to be a doctor as long as she can remember, because she wants to change the face of medicine. The infant mortality rate in African American mothers has increased by 10% in the last 2 years alone. Getting this scholarship would help her lower that rate and make the process of childbirth easier.
Ryan also wants to continue her community service while changing the world to a more equal place. Ryan wants to continue helping as many girls as possible so that all young girls that look like her can achieve their goals and change the world.
Ryan will be starting her Freshman year at Spelman College.