Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta (BBBSMA) celebrated 34 graduating high school senior Littles at the 2023 Annual Graduation Celebration on Saturday, June 3rd, 2023, at Georgia State University. Almost 90% of BBBSMA high school senior Littles are graduating on time and are pursuing post-secondary education or the military. 17 high school seniors attended the event.

BBBSMA Board Member, Richard Makerson, was in attendance to give the Welcome from the Board of Directors. Then, our Master of Ceremonies was introduced, Chaz Chapman, who served as the Vice President of Kennesaw State’s Black Alumni Society, is a 2020 United Way Volunteer Involvement Program alum, and was included in the 30 Under 30 of the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Atlanta.

Next, BBBSMA’s Marketing and Communications Specialist, and Site-Based Big Sister to Kiora, Chelsey Kelly, then gave the invocation. After the invocation, lunch was served and our Keynote Speaker for the event, Insight Global’s Matt Gonsalves, took the stage.

Afterward, BBBSMA Little Sister, Kendall-Kimora Brown, gave a special rap performance. We then had four featured high school senior match speakers take the stage to talk about their experiences with BBBSMA and their Bigs.

Our seniors were then each individually invited to walk the stage as their name was read by BBBSMA Big Futures Manager, Teri Fetiere. Following that, our Alumni Ceremony and Recognition of Parents was conducted in which each Little pins their Big in recognition of the time, effort, care, and dedication they’ve shown throughout the match.

2023 Scholarship Winners

Then, the BBBSMA Class of 2023 scholarship award winners were announced. This year, a total $18,000 in scholarships was awarded to 12 students.

A $1,500 scholarship from The Atlanta Braves Foundation was awarded to Eric White Jr. Eric plans to attend South Carolina State University and major in Physical Education with aspirations to become a professional track star and own a fitness business.  

A $2,000 scholarship from Fiserv was awarded to Daphne Lipson. Daphne plans to attend Valdosta State University and aspires to be an elementary school teacher. 

A $2,500 scholarship from Whataburger was awarded to Jocelyn Quechol-Elias. Jocelyn plans to attend Oglethorpe University and major in Biology with aspirations to be a pediatrician. 

A $2,500 scholarship from Georgia Power was awarded to Charity Odom. Charity plan to attend Georgia Southern University and major in Radiologic Sciences/ Health Sciences with aspirations to be a cardiovascular interventional sonographer.  

The $2,500 scholarship from the Benjamin “Ben” Rohrer Scholarship Fund at KPMG was awarded to Sharon Ajayi. Sharon plans to attend Howard University and major in psychology/pre-med with aspirations to be an anesthesiologist or Trauma Surgeon.

After that, BBBSMA Chief Impact Officer, Kara Stimpson, presented 7 senior scholarships winners from Chamblee High School on behalf of the Beyond School Walls program at Cox Enterprises. Each year, Cox Enterprises generously awards eligible seniors a scholarship to help propel their futures.

This year, Cox awarded $7,000 in scholarships. Congratulations to this year’s recipients: Grant Polk, Tahmid Jamal, Jace Tiguila, Ayesha Shova, Ryder Santamaria, Sophie Li, and Brian Ortega-Vicente.

BBBSMA President & CEO, Kwame Johnson, then wrapped up the celebration by expressing how proud he is of our high school senior Littles, and how thankful he is to our Bigs, Families of Littles, and Beyond School Walls and Big Futures Partners.

“Through dedication and perseverance, our Little Brothers and Little Sisters have achieved a major milestone – but they are not done yet,” said BBBSMA President & CEO, Kwame Johnson. “They’ve only just begun to unlock their potential for greatness – and your support has been an integral aspect of their hard-fought successes. And to our Littles: we are so proud of what you have achieved, and we can’t wait to watch you flourish and grow and even greater things out there in the world. You have all proven that you are meant for great things that will impact our world. Bigs and Littles, this is not the end of your journey. It is the beginning of your new chapter.”