June 10, 2016
Contact: Jill Drury, Communication Specialist
jedrury@dps.k12.oh.us
For Immediate Release

LEDA helped Samia Dudley’s admission to prestigious university

     There is something about Samia Dudley. She is polite, artistic, and will graduate at the top of her class. But, there is something else. Samia is not only a salutatorian at Stivers School for the Arts, but a graduate of the prestigious Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA).
LEDA selects about 100 low-income students each year who demonstrate leadership potential, but might go unnoticed when applying to our nation’s top colleges and universities. Samia was selected for a coveted spot at LEDA’s Aspects of Leadership Summer Institute in the summer of 2015 as she entered her senior year of high school. She spent seven weeks participating in the intensive program at the Ivy League’s Princeton University in New Jersey. The curriculum is one of writing instruction, standardized test preparation, college guidance, and community building. Samia says the hectic schedule of leadership classes and college readiness courses was worth it.
“It opened my mind to ideas that shape the world,” Samia said. “It allowed me to hear how other people my age live in different cities without much, but still succeed. I loved learning how our society is shaped and appreciated how open-minded everyone was.”
Samia was ultimately accepted at three institutions of higher learning. She chose Wesleyan University, a liberal arts college in Connecticut. Her choice is a direct result of her LEDA experience.
“It was hard to imagine applying to good schools on my own. My family doesn’t have a lot of experience applying to colleges, so I didn’t know what to expect until the LEDA opportunity came along.”
She leads the way for Stivers junior, Amber Butler, who is the third Stivers student in three consecutive years, chosen to attend LEDA. Amber will attend the program this summer as she prepares for her senior year of high school. The first participant, Alfrea Henderson, currently attends the University of Richmond tuition-free.
Samia offers Amber the same advice about LEDA that she took to heart.
“I would tell her to keep an open mind and talk to everybody there. She will meet people who she can network with in the future. It goes by so fast, so take every advantage offered to you.”
Not only will LEDA guide her future, but a $1,000 Dayton-Montgomery County Scholarship will help Samia pay for school. Several Dayton-Montgomery County Scholarships are awarded each year to eligible students in Montgomery County. It awarded more than $680,000 in scholarships in the 2014-15 school year.
Dayton Public Schools has a proud history of student scholars. The Class of 2015 earned $22.4 million in scholarships to attend some of our nation’s finest colleges and universities, and the graduation rate has increased 12 percent in just five years (from 2010 to 2014).
To interview Samia Dudley or any of our DPS scholars, contact Jill Drury, communications specialist, at 542-3023 or email jedrury@dps.k12.oh.us.