2024 Application Open!

NEW: ADK and Santa Ana students invited to apply!

Newark, Flint, and Greenwich seniors!

2024 Application Open! NEW: ADK and Santa Ana students invited to apply! Newark, Flint, and Greenwich seniors!

Mari Copeny Award & Scholarship

Mari Copeny, a 14-year-old activist from Michigan, is popularly known as “Little Miss Flint” for her community leadership and fight for clean water for her fellow Flint, Michigan residents, who have been in the midst of a lead water crisis for eight years now.

The Mari Copeny Award and Scholarship for graduating high school seniors is meant to honor Mari’s legacy as a dedicated social justice warrior and encourage community involvement and leadership in young adults. Since its start in 2020, 19 winners spanning Flint Michigan, Newark New Jersey, and Greenwich New York won the award. Each award winner receives a $100 cash scholarship. 

This year, in addition to Flint, Newark, and Greenwich, we have newly added the regions of Santa Ana, CA and Adirondack Park, NY to bring in young people from the communities we are actively working in and for.

COMMUNITY - PROMISE - ASPIRATION


2023 winners

Fatima Reyes

Greenwich High School 

Greenwich 

Attending Champlain College in Fall 2024

Melodie Marsh

Genesee Early College

Flint 

Attending Xavier University of Louisiana in Fall 2024

Teagan Wright

Greenwich High School 

Greenwich 

Attending South Dakota School of Mines and Technology in Fall 2024

Keegan Collins

Greenwich High School 

Greenwich 

Attending SUNY Albany in Fall 2024

 

Saeed Rayman

Great Oaks Legacy Charter High School

Newark  

Attending New Jersey Institute Of Technology in Fall 2024

 
 

2022 WINNERS

Molly Morse-Belcher 

Greenwich High School 

Greenwich 

Attending Smith College in Fall 2022

Lauren Chuhta

Greenwich High School 

Greenwich 

Attending Cornell University in Fall 2022

Antonio Sweeney 

Madison Academy High School 

Flint 

Attending Hampton University in Fall 2022

Daniela Palacios

Science Park High School 

Newark 

Attending Columbia University in Fall 2022

Esmeralda Ignacio

Technology High School 

Newark 

Attending Rutgers New Brunswick in Fall 2022

Manuela Duarte

Science Park High School 

Newark 

Attending Cornell University in Fall 2022

Shea Fortier 

Greenwich High School 

Greenwich 

Attending Hamilton College in Fall 2022


SELECTION CRITERIA

Once the application deadline hits, all scholarship applications are made anonymous (names blacked out, submission date, etc.) and distributed to our Scholarship Selection Committee for evaluation. Applicants are evaluated based on their demonstration of leadership, their commitment to their community, their overall academic & extracurricular achievement, and their positive character. Committee members only find out who won the award after all members have submitted their evaluations to ensure that the award is given based on merit & their prowess in the selection criteria. The Scholarship Selection Committee is comprised of 7 local nonprofit leaders and teachers from Greenwich, Flint, and Newark.


2021 WINNERS

 
 
 
 

HAILEE Hailee Clack has been an integrated member of her community throughout her high school career. On campus, she is a player on many sports teams and a member of many extracurricular clubs. She is on the basketball and track teams at Swartz Creek High School. and ran track at Powers Catholic. She is the Vice President of Vernon Chapel AME Usher Board, a member of the Model UN club, a representative of her high school’s Human Relations Council, and many other community groups. Hailee has volunteered at food giveaways at church and fundraised for causes including breast cancer awareness.

KYLE Kyle Karp has been involved in volunteering throughout high school, especially as a member of Greenwich’s National Honor Society. Kyle has volunteered at events like the local Tractor Parade, the Greenwich Central High School Blood Drive, Operation Santa, and more. Kyle was also part of the Tutoring Committee for National Honor Society and tutored 7th and 8th graders after school last year. Kyle has been on the High Honor Roll every year of high school and is graduating in the top 10 of his class. Next year, Kyle will be studying linguistics in the Honors Program at SUNY Albany.

ISABELLE Isabelle Sloan has been involved in 4-H in Washington county since she was eight. In the last 10 years she has worked in the 4-H food booth and milkshake booth at the Washington County fair. She has dedicated many hours to being a strong role model for the younger group members and leading them in various projects from camping safety to arts and crafts projects. She has also been a member of the national honor society since her junior year. 4-H has taught her how not only to master public speaking skills, but also how to be a leader and teacher, and she will carry those things with her forever.

DELPHINA Delphina Addo-Laryea is an honor student at University High School. Delphina volunteers at her local food bank and is committed to being a strong member of her community.

 

NAQUAYA Naquaya Mitchell is an honor student at University High School in Newark, NJ. She is a passionate cheerleader at her high school, and has been a cheer coach for almost 5 years now. After graduation, Naquaya plans to attend university and major in Early Childhood Education.

 

GOODNESS Goodness Ifesanya is a senior at Science Park High School in Newark, NJ. Goodness was selected to join a special young Black students tech mentorship community program offered by Microsoft in Summer 2020. Goodness has also been deeply involved in community service and social engagement, and this was recognized by his election as President of the Stand and Deliver club at SPHS, a club that aims to provide students with skills of healthy debate and clear communication. In the future, Goodness has career aspirations to become a financial expert and business leader.

 

2020 WINNERS

 
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QUINN Quinn Collins has always had a dedication to service, which led to her decision to attend the United States Military Academy. Aside from being an honor student, Quinn was selected to be a Norman Borlog scholar in 2019, where she got “to attend the World Food Prize Global Youth Institute, where [she] was given the opportunity to meet with peer leaders from around the globe and world renowned hunger fighters that have dedicated their life to working to end food insecurity.” As her school’s National Honors Society President, she has encouraged her fellow seniors to excel in their academics and in their community through volunteerism and stewardship. She has also volunteered at the Special Olympics Young Athletes Program with the other Greenwich winner, Emma Cronin. 

EMMA Emma Cronin has volunteered at all sorts of organizations and events, from the Whipple City Days 5k to Operation Santa to the Welsley Nursing Home to the L.I.F.T.S Summer Camp to Soup r’ Bands, an autism awareness fundraiser. Emma is also a scholar student leader, as she has been her class’ Vice President and a member of the National Honor Society since her junior year. Emma feels that throughout her academic career, her community “gave me a sense of family and place where I belong, which I will take with me no matter where I go in life.” 

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AMANDA Amanda Da Silva has been an active member of her school’s Student Council as well as a member of the Newark Youth Court since she was a sophomore, a program that helps students learn about the legal system and helps students who have committed low-level offenses a chance to better themselves with corrective punishments such as community service or writing essays. Amanda has also been a helpful member of her community since she started high school, doing things like “feeding the homeless, helping out at church with kids and classes, walking the cancer walk, and reading to kids.” 

GABRIELA Aside from being a 4.3 GPA student, Gabriela Martinez has been an important figure in her community. She has been a representative in her school’s Student Leadership Organization, a National Honor society member, and a member of her school’s Gay Straight Alliance club, amongst many other extracurricular. She also represented her town of Newark during the  Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s R2L NextGen program in 2019, where she got the chance to talk to her Congressional Representatives about the Newark lead water crisis. 

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TAINA Taina Cox gives back to her community by helping to feed the homeless and handing out clean water to others impacted by the Flint water crisis. Taina talks about how the crisis has impacted her personally, and how she can’t use the water in her home to shower without her skin breaking out. 

KATIA Katia Moore cannot use the water in her home either. In her essay, she emphasizes the importance of being a positive role model in your community, and  believes “it is very important to have the skill of community, leadership, and fighting for social justice in your life.” Katia is also the captain of the cheerleading squad at her high school. 

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