(Baton Rouge, La.) – Urban Restoration Enhancement Corporation (UREC) is delighted to announce that Matthew Evans and Makayla Bey are recipients of the 2024 Ronnie Edwards Scholarship. Both previously participated in UREC Academy’s youth development initiatives that focus on college readiness, career exploration, and ACT preparation. Each honoree will receive a $1,000 scholarship to go towards college tuition.
Established in 2017, The Ronnie Edwards Scholarship is an annual award that honors the memory and legacy of UREC’s founding executive director and community leader, Ronnie Edwards, who established UREC’s youth development programs while advancing the organization’s vision of “Building Today’s Communities for Tomorrow.”
Scholarship recipient Matthew Evans is a freshman at Louisiana State University who has career aspirations to work in law. He recently graduated from Baton Rouge High with 4.0 grade point average. While in high school, Matthew participated in UREC’s Entrepreneurship and ACT prep institutes.
Evans said, “The programs taught me presentation, project management, business planning, and test-taking skills. It also helped me to increase my ACT score from 19 to 30.”
Scholarship recipient Makayla Bey is enrolled at the University of Houston where she is studying graphic design and marketing. Before this, she attended Christian Home Educators Fellowship of Baton Rouge for high school. During high school, she participated in UREC’s Technology and ACT Prep institutes, the latter of which helped her increase her ACT score to ACT.
Bey said, “My career goals are to work in marketing and design. UREC’s technology program introduced me to the backend of technology such as wiring and cabling. Before this, I only knew about design and layout. The program changed my perspective of art and how to create and program things using technology.”
UREC President & CEO Carl Dillon said, “Matthew and Makayla are two exceptional, hard-working, and deserving scholars who have bright futures ahead of them. We recognize their commitment to personal development and are honored to present them with a Ronnie Edwards scholarship.”
To learn more or donate to UREC’s Ronnie Edwards Scholarship fund, visit www.urecbr.com.
