Today, we would like to share with you the story of Juanita Black, a 69 year old receipent of the Fatima Plater Scholarship for 2024-25, a graduate student at Wayne State University, where I attended graduate school. Her cancer journey began 10 years ago (not over) and led her from a career in civil engineering to graduate school pursuing a Master’s degree in exercise and sports science at WSU College of Education with the aspiration of becoming a clinical exercise physiologist. Juanita says,”It’s my full intention to demonstrate that cancer can’t win.That’s why I call it “can’tcer.” I don’t say can because I don’t give it permission to win.”

It is with great pleasure that we announce the two recipients of the 2024-2025 Fatima Plater Scholarships at Western Michigan University, where I attended the College of Education as an undergraduate. The recepients are Sabrina King of Grand Blanc, MI, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Delta Chi Chapter, who is majoring in Political Science with a minor in African American History and plans on teaching and becoming a prosecutor. The second receipent is Zoey Kane from Sturgis, MI, who is majoring in education and plans on teaching elementary education and also teaching in a special education resource room. Go Broncos!

This afternoon, Fatima Plater and Mary Feazell attended Wayne State University’s College of Education’s 2024-2025 Scholarship Awards Reception at their Student Center Ballroom. The College of Education Dean, Denise Taiaferro Baszile, thanked all donors and celebrated over $885,000 in scholarship awards for the College of Education students.