Spotlight

Reddick Scholarship Recipient

Bessie Morris Foundation is proud to introduce Janis-Joey King-Synagogue, a recipient of the Mom and Pop Reddick Scholarship. In Fall 2022, she will be a senior at California State University, Chico.

Inspired by her mother, Janis gave it her all to reach her goal to attend college while majoring in a field she enjoys — sociology. “One of the main reasons I decided to major in sociology is the circumstances I see day to day. I have always been interested in how we function in our society. What makes us do what we do? Why do we think the way we do? And how does it affect us as a whole? I believe that it is imperative to understand human identity and even our day-to-day social interactions for our society to function,” says Janis.

Janis plans not only to educate herself in her area of study, but also to share the knowledge she gains and put it into action by helping others who can benefit. Her primary foci are discrimination and racial prejudice, intersectionality and identity, public health, and medicalization.

When asked what words of advice she give to new college students, Janis offered the following:

Get involved with activities on campus: clubs, plays, events, etc. The biggest upside to joining things on campus are the potential connections. You can make friends, talk to faculty and staff, and learn about other opportunities you may have not heard about.
If you have the unit capacity to do so, take some classes that you may genuinely enjoy. Not every class has to align with your major. Take something just for fun if you can. In my freshman year I was able to take Japanese, which helped to cover a diversity requirement for my GE’s. I was also able to take a Magic, Witchcraft, and Religion course which helped satisfy 2 GE areas. It was very enjoyable.

Get your work out of the way before going out for leisure activities. This will help you to be able to actually enjoy your free time without feeling guilty because you have something due. Get your homework done and then go to that party or event.

Janis’ personal hobbies include nature walks and photography.

Congratulations to Janis for reaching her goal and for her well-deserved scholarship.

Other 2022 academic scholarship recipients were Brielle Terry who will be attending Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles, attending University of California, Santa Barbara; Noella Bih who will be attending medical school at American University of Antiqua; and Jaelyn Garrard who will be a Computer Science junior at California State University, Long Beach this fall.

August 2022