Meet Our Founder

Jilkiah Bryant - Marshall Scholarships

Jilkiah Bryant, a native of Macon, MS, graduated from University of Mississippi with a B.S. in Public Health and Health Sciences and a minor in mathematics. Her honors thesis focused on the Black male educator shortage in Mississippi Public Schools and provided intervention strategies to mitigate this disparity. Jilkiah is heavily involved her community, focusing on improving overall equity for marginalized populations. She established a non-profit that addresses violence, food, literacy, and education challenges in locations around Mississippi.

UM Graduate Chosen as 2023 Marshall Scholar - Ole Miss News

OXFORD, Miss. – The British government has named University of Mississippi alumna Jilkiah Bryant as a winner of a prestigious Marshall Scholarship, making her the third Marshall Scholar in the university’s history. Bryant, a 2023 graduate with a degree in public health and health sciences, plans to spend the next two years studying community health in England. As a Marshall Scholar, she will study Health Economics at the University of Sheffield, and Health and International Development at London School of Economics.

Two Mississippi Students Awarded Truman Scholarships - Ole Miss News

OXFORD, Miss. - Jilkiah Bryant and Andy Flores recently got life-changing news: both students in the university’s Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College have been awarded prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarships. This is the first time since 2013 that the Truman Foundation has awarded two scholarships to the state of Mississippi and the first time ever that both Mississippi awards have gone to the same institution. The awards were announced Thursday (April 14). UM is among only six institutions that have multiple Truman Scholars this year, joining Columbia, Harvard and Stanford universities, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

University of Mississippi: 2023 Hall of Fame

Black Male Educator Shortage in the Mississippi Public School System: Impact, Challenges, and Intervention Strategies

Undergraduate Thesis - This paper examines the impact of the Black male educator shortage on the Mississippi education system, the challenges faced by Black male educators, and related intervention strategies to increase the number of Black male teachers in Mississippi's public school systems. This thesis was successfully defended and approved in May 2023. Advisor: Dr. Albert Nylander Reader: Dr. Laura Martin Reader: Dr. EJ Edney

UM-Sponsored Bilingual Health Fair Benefits Pontotoc Community - Ole Miss News

Jilkiah Bryant, a public health and health sciences major from Macon, first heard about Pontotoc’s language gap through her work as area coordinator for health and well-being with the UM Office of Community Engagement. The Ole Miss junior hosted a roundtable discussion attended by both Valcarcel-Ares and Karen Allison, community development coordinator for MississippiCare, a federally qualified health center serving Lafayette and Pontotoc counties.