2018 Alumnae Supported Scholarship Recipient Announced

Raenah Lindsey Selected by Joyce Ivy Alumnae

​ANN ARBOR, MI, April 23, 2018 – ​The Joyce Ivy Foundation recently announced the names of 84 young women receiving 2018 summer scholarships for pre-college study at highly selective colleges and universities. From the group of 2018 Joyce Ivy Foundation Summer Scholars, Raenah Lindsey, a sophomore at East Grand Rapids High School in Michigan, has been selected to receive the 2018 Alumnae Scholarship.

Since 2013, alumnae of the Joyce Ivy Foundation Summer Scholars program have engaged in an annual “Pay It Forward” fundraising campaign to support a scholarship for a current Summer Scholar. To date, the Joyce Ivy Foundation has named 719 Summer Scholars, including 84 members of the 2018 cohort. The alumnae campaign seeks to collect small donations from alumnae, as well as donations alumnae raise in their local communities, to support a scholarship.

“I’m very proud of the hard work that the Fellows put into this year’s Pay-It-Forward Campaign, especially the co-chairs and members of the Fundraising Committee,” said Ashley Lane, JIF ’15, Co-Director of the Fellows Program. “We incorporated weekly challenges into the campaign this year to help mobilize Fellows and provide tangible steps for fundraising. We also promoted smaller donations, as these can ultimately add up to make a big impact. Each year, I’m so inspired by the passion our Fellows have for paying forward their Joyce Ivy experiences. They demonstrate this passion not only by fundraising, but also by working on our blog and social media sites, promoting our Summer Scholars program, and engaging with alumnae. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to work with such an incredible group of young women!”

Raenah Lindsey has been selected as the 2018 recipient of the Alumnae Scholarship. Raenah, a sophomore, has worked extensively with political campaigns, both as an interns for a senator as and a volunteer for a Michigan attorney general. She is president of her school’s Michigan’s Youth in Government organization, through which she is rebuilding her school’s delegation and beginning a middle school chapter. Raenah is currently working on writing a novel about space travel, and she maintains a blog highlighting profiles in American history.

“The Selection Committee was very impressed by the maturity displayed in Raenah’s application,” said Allison Jegla, JIF ’10, Vice President for Program Development and member of the Summer Scholars Selection Committee. “Raenah has a well-developed sense of self, and she has already been intentional about expanding her mindset by pursuing experiences that push her outside her comfort zone. We are confident that she will launch herself into the summer program will gusto; as she does so, the Joyce Ivy alumnae hope that she feels our support every step of the way.”

“I was overcome by joy when I discovered I was named a Joyce Ivy Scholarship recipient,” said Raenah Lindsey. “When I was named the recipient of the Alumnae Scholarship specifically, that joy deepened. I am beyond excited to explore the opportunities awaiting not only myself, but the inspiring peers I am bound to meet. Learning and interacting with like-minded, curiosity-driven young leaders from around the world excites my desire to both challenge and diversify my perspective. I look forward to stretching the bounds of my comfort zone, learning within realms beyond my imagination, and growing alongside my peers and mentors. I cannot thank the Joyce Ivy alumnae enough for selecting me to have this incredible opportunity which I am greatly honored to accept.”

The 2018 Joyce Ivy Foundation Summer Scholars were selected from one of the largest applicant pools in the Foundation’s history. Summer Scholars have the opportunity to study at 11 partner colleges and universities: Barnard College, Brown University, Cornell University, Emory University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, Smith College, Washington University in St. Louis, and Yale University.

The 2018 Scholars, along with the Joyce Ivy Leader of the Year and Women of Impact award recipients will be honored at the 13th Annual Gala on May 12.