First Independence Bank presented its 7th annual Rhonda Pugh Memorial Essay Contest. Rhonda Pugh was a longtime First Independence Bank vice president of treasury management for many years prior to her death. For the seventh year in a row, First Independence Bank has partnered with the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) to provide Detroit students (both high school and middle school) scholarship opportunities towards costs for higher education.
More than $6 thousand dollars has been awarded to middle and high school student essay contest winners. Kenneth Kelly, chairman & CEO, First Independence Bank addressed the audience of DPS award recipients, parents, teachers and principals with a message of education and financial literacy.
Celeste Northern, daughter of late Rhonda Pugh addressed the audience with reflections of her late mother.
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The 2019 high school scholarship winners, middle school award winners and honorable mention recipients are:
High School Scholarships
| 1st Place | Kelsey Gee | Martin Luther King Jr., Sr. High School |
| 2nd Place | Shawntae Thompson | Osborn High School |
| 3rd Place | Kyrah Kimbro | Renaissance High School |
High School Honorable Mentions
| Taylor Moore | Cass Technical High School |
| Tori Shines | Detroit International Academy for Young Women |
| Dorean Hardy | Fredrick Douglass Academy for Young Men |
| Imani Ziyad | Martin Luther King Jr., Sr. High School |
| Classie Hubert | Renaissance High School |
| Aniya Durham | Renaissance High School |
Middle School Awards
| 1st Place | Nahida Sultana | Davison Elementary-Middle School |
| 2nd Place | Ason Jones | Brewer Academy |
| 3rd Place | Ashleigh Odunsi | Sampson-Webber Leadership Academy |
Middle School Honorable Mentions
| Jessica Owens | Brewer Academy | |||
| Johnathan Kimbrough | Brewer Academy | |||
| Mariah Hunter | Carstens Academy of Aquatic Science | |||
| Tyler Myers | Carstens Academy of Aquatic Science | |||
| Miranda Nedd | Carstens Academy of Aquatic Science | |||
| Milan Smith | Twain School for Scholars | |||
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