The Other Side Project

The Other Side Project is a scholarship in memorial to my late childhood friend, Tiarah Poyau. For those who are not familiar with her story, Tiarah was a bright and vivacious individual whose life was cut short at the age of 22 years during the Labor Day festivities in Brooklyn, New York back in 2016. She was finishing a Master's degree at St. John University that year.

Tiarah and I lived one block away from each other and attended the same elementary school. We were very good friends and our families always watched over us. We played in the school band together and and pushed each other to do our best academically. We graduated together, valedictorian and salutatorian of our class. My fondest memories are those of us going home together with either my grandmother or her grandmother, who pasted a few years before Tiarah. Those memories will be cherished because they were the moments that made me who I am today. Although we didn't have the chance to stay close over the years, other people who I have interacted with in my later years that knew Tiarah left an impact on my life as well because she was that kind of person that you always carried a sprinkle of with you wherever you go.

As a Higher Education educator, I want to give back to students like myself and Tiarah who constantly strived for academic excellence and see its value. The Other Side project will provide a scholarship to one undergraduate student attending a 4 year institution, earning at least a 2.0 cumulative GPA, of Afro-Caribbean descent, and can demonstrate in a minimum of 500 words how they plan to leave their mark. Winner will receive a one time payment of 25% of the sales from The Other Side Collection for their spring term and a complimentary set of The Other Side Collection. Must provide proof of attendance at a 4 year college/university. Applications for Fall 2022 are due by 12 noon on June 30th. Link to complete the application is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1euO7VeJOtetTaK88pSfqDLIOMB1F-UPQIyolHd1VN1g/edit?usp=sharing