June 1, 2016
Contact: Jill Drury, Communication Specialist
jedrury@dps.k12.oh.us
For Immediate Release

Banyaamin Muhammed will attend Wittenberg University in Springfield

     Banyaamin Muhammed’s life revolves around numbers that total success for the Thurgood Marshall STEM High School graduate. He is the recipient of five college scholarships, he is the fourth of eight children, and his parents both work for Dayton Public Schools. What’s more, he plans to study mathematics at Wittenberg University in the fall. His goal is to become a teacher like his father.
“I want to come back to an urban school district like Dayton schools and teach math,” Banyaamin said.
There is no doubt that with such a large family, any scholarship money is welcomed and appreciated. Banyaamin is the recipient of a $1,000 Franklin B. Walter All-Scholastic Award, named for a past state schools superintendent. His wrestling skills earned him a $400 Greater Miami Valley Wrestling Association scholarship. He also received $2,000 in state and county scholarships.
“I’ve already spent some of that money on college fees and supplies. I bought a new laptop computer for school.”
Perhaps most impressive, is Banyaamin’s acceptance of the Wittenberg University Broadwell Chinn Award. The $16,000 scholarship recognizes student diversity and is renewable for each year that Banyaamin excels at his studies. The award is named for Broadwell Chinn, who was the first African-American to enroll at Wittenberg back in the 1870s.
“It is a small school with high academic standards. It will give him access to respected professors,” his father Armiya Muhammed said.
Banyaamin knows that his family is always by his side. That is not surprising since his father teaches at Thurgood and is also his wrestling coach. Then, there are his siblings, one of which attends Thurgood, two who will attend E.J. Brown in the fall, and one attends Westwood. The other four siblings are in college. His oldest sister will graduate from Wittenberg this year.
“Every time I needed something, they were there for me. My family motivates me to stay focused on school,” Banyaamin said. “My parents always put their kids first. They’re always juggling their day to support us.”
Both parents split their time attending each child’s extra-curricular activities. Armiya attends most of the high school functions because he is already there working alongside his children. His wife, who works in the lunchroom at River’s Edge, spends her time with the younger kids because her schedule better matches theirs. Armiya is also juggling his own higher education. He is currently working to complete his dissertation to earn a doctorate from Miami University.
Baanyamin Muhammed is one of many Dayton Public Schools scholars. He joins graduates like Ebi Reyes, Nyanna Johnson, and Shadayah Lawrence, whose academic performances helped them achieve their goals to attend college. DPS students have received $10 million in scholarships for the 2015-16 academic year and still counting. To interview Baanyamin or any DPS scholar, contact Jill Drury, communication specialist, at 542-3023 or email jedrury@dps.k12.oh.us.

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