Legacy Award for Black Excellence Presents Annual Scholarship

Kamilah Scott with fund founder, Karen Coyne.

The Legacy Award for Black Excellence has made its annual award designed to support educational costs and programming. In particular, this award is designed to make a difference for an African American student (including non-traditional students) residing in Washington County demonstrating leadership qualities.

Kamilah Scott attends Hagerstown Community College, pursuing undergraduate studies with plans to attend a four-year university in the near future. She plans to pursue studies in Early Childhood Development.

She manages to excel in the classroom while working full-time at Habitat for Humanity of Washington County’s Restore. “My dream is to own my own childcare facility where I will be able to support low-income families. My hope is that once I have my own childcare facility that I will continue to achieve accreditations so that the children I work with will have the best early learning opportunities,” said Scott.

She also credits her passion for caring for others to her lengthy experience in volunteering for many nonprofits and her church over the years. At the Robert W. Johnson Community Center, Scott became a volunteer after attending their program as a child. She helped with their food drives, the pool nights, community events with other children, and their Thanksgiving dinners. She has also been active volunteering for Habitat for Humanity of Washington County’s Women’s Build, their annual auction dinner, and the Maryland Symphony Orchestra.

“Throughout my teenage years, I have done a lot of things to support the black community in Hagerstown. Often, I have found that I was the only black woman in the room. I have sat at tables where I was the only 17-year-old black girl. I have seen firsthand how black women do not get recognized for their accomplishments. Yet, these women continue to work hard to make an impact in our community knowing that their work might be invisible to some. Their perseverance and dreams to make life better for others is what inspired me to pursue my own dreams,” continued Scott.