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Thanks to donor support Deonna is pursuing her passion.

Deonna Jones, a political science major at the University at Buffalo, is a success story in anybody’s book. Against all obstacles as a legal ward of the courts, she excelled academically at Buffalo’s Bennett High School as a student in its specialized Law Magnet program.

Driven to succeed, Deonna attributes much of her hardworking attitude to mentoring she received from Ramona Thomas-Reynolds, former principal of Bennett High School. “She told me that higher education is not just an option but an expectation, ” she explains. Now a sophomore at UB, Deonna is proud to be the first recipient of the College of Arts and Sciences Bennett High School Access Scholarship.

Impressed with UB’s Law School and motivated by her first-hand experience with the court system throughout her childhood, Deonna has her sights set on a career as a lawyer. And thanks to the Bennett High School Access Scholarship, she is fully able to pay her tuition as she works towards her goals.

Established in 2007 by a member of the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Advisory Council—an alumna of Bennett High School and UB—the Bennett High School Access Scholarship enhances educational opportunities for Bennett High School graduates enrolled at the UB. The donor recognized that there are far too many students who are unable to earn an undergraduate degree due to a gap in funding between what they receive from financial aid sources and the cost of attendance. The scholarship fills the gap in funding for four to five years of undergraduate study.

Excited about her future, Deonna is following her passion, hoping to someday reach others and change lives through her career in law, just as the scholarship she received has changed hers.

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