MBP Scholarships
Marcia has, since 2008, made a personal commitment to donating Bursaries or Scholarships to the Jamaican Canada Association Scholarship Program. This initiative provides financial assistance to students from low/disadvantaged income household, with proven scholastic abilities and community involvement in pursuing post-secondary education in colleges/universities across Ontario; these are presented at the annual awards ceremony held each September at the Jamaican Canadian Centre
Aisha Ehouman
Marcia Brown Scholarship Recipient Aisha Ehouman
Aisha Ehouman’s passion for helping others was ignited from the television show Grey’s Anatomy. This interest, coupled with her love for children, resulted in her decision to enrol in the Nursing program at the University of Western Ontario, with the goal of being a nurse specializing in paediatrics. Aisha recently graduated from the Adam Scott Collegiate Institute where she was the recipient of various awards for academic excellence. Her second passion is for dancing, and as a member of the A Frost Dancing Experience, Aisha has shown great discipline in learning new techniques. She is a member of the group’s competitive dancing team and is proficient in various forms of dance including hip hop, jazz, ballet, tap and contemporary. She is also a volunteer at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
Tamae Vassell
Marcia Brown Scholarship Recipient Tamae Vassell
Tamae Vassell is a honour roll student at St. Boniface Catholic School, where she is focusing on Arts and Science. As a testament to her exceptional talents, Tamae is able to achieve such academic excellence while being heavily involved in extra-curricular activities such as vocal training, swimming, drumming and dancing. She is described as a gem to teach, someone who is naturally shy but completely transforms when she is in element, which is the performing arts. Tamae enrolled in her first competition at the tender age of 3 years old, where she placed 4th out of 12 dancers, most of them more than twice her age. Since then she has matured into an excellent performer and was recently crowned as the first female drummer to win the Church of God District and Regional Indefinite Pitch competition. Tamae is a member of the Elite Dance Company Inc. and performed at several events including the JCA’s Pickney Sinting and Boonoonoonos Brunch.
Kemar Hayles
Marcia Brown Production Bursary Recipient
Kemar Hayles Kemar is currently attending Niagara College where he is studying for a career in acting for film and television with the ultimate goal of becoming an actor. He intends to make a difference to the Canadian society through his passion for acting and entertainment. Kemar was a past Air Cadet of 104 Starfighter Squadron in Brantford from which he graduated with the highest position a cadet can achieve and retired at the rank of Warrant Officer 2nd Class. During his summer training programs he was top of his class, received the highest grades three years in a row and was awarded trophies for overall best achievement in Ontario.
Kemar was very active with the Squadron's involvement in the community. He participated in Remembrance Day ceremonies, Senior's Dinner at the Royal Canadian Legion, Veteran's Day Parades, and Brant United Way Air Show. For his community involvement Kemar was awarded the Legion Medal of Excellence, which is only awarded to a cadet with outstanding performance in leadership and community involvement. He is the recipient of several other awards for volunteering and academic excellence including the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Award and the Pauline Johnson Spotlight Award for excellence in all aspects of school.
Amanda McIntosh
Marcia Brown Bursary Recipient – Amanda McIntosh
In addition to having clear career goals, Amanda also has aspirations to achieve greatness in the realm of academia. She is currently enrolled in the Psychology Program at the University of Toronto Mississauga due to her interest in understanding the aspects and factors that contribute to human behaviour. Aside from setting high standards for herself, Amanda has been involved in many aspects of public and community education and advocacy through various leadership initiatives. She volunteers at the Holland Christian Homes, not because she needed volunteer hours, but to gain experience working with seniors. Amanda also participated in the St Augustine Secondary School’s Zonta Club in team projects geared towards improving the society. She has a passion for dancing and has grown to be one of the most recognized dancers within the church ministry. In addition to being a senior dancer, Amanda also helps with choreographing dances with the senior and junior dance groups at her church.
Melinda Kong
Marcia Brown Bursary Recipient Melinda Kong
Melinda graduated from Crawford Adventist Academy and is currently in her first year in the Communication Studies program at Wilfrid Laurier University. She is a recipient of a music band award, a social science award, and a 14 year student award during her studies at the Academy. She is an active member of the Toronto Seventh-Day Adventist Church where she does much of her volunteer work. Melinda has an extensive list of community involvements which include volunteering at a vocational Bible school, a drill instructor for Cassiopeia Pathfinder’s club, performing in church and school groups, feeding the homeless, volunteering at St. Alphonsus Day Care, playing a principal role in a feature film HUSH, 2009, and finally as a news anchor for TWAY News Toronto, a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian Youth broadcasting station. Through these experiences she developed her leadership and creative skills. Her success comes from her belief in the power of 3 for success: Home, Church, and School.
Caroline Dinnall
Marcia Brown Bursary Recipient Caroline Dinnall
Caroline’s dedication to making a difference within her community has been evident in the ongoing roles she fulfilled in The Diaspora Collective – Student Leadership Group. Caroline’s strong sense of character and dedication to excellence will lead her to fulfill her goals of graduating with honors and becoming a world famous editor with her own magazine. In addition to her community and theater involvement Caroline is a very strong student. Through all four years of high school Caroline has been on the honor roll, and upon graduation she was recognized as an Ontario Scholar. She is currently enrolled in the Journalism program at Ryerson University.
Blaze Box
Marcia Brown Scholarship Recipient Blaze Box
Blaze is pursuing a career in New Media, and is currently enrolled in the Radio and Television Arts Program at Ryerson University. He always dreamt of working behind the scenes and having a career in the Digital Film making and Video Production Industry and having the freedom to create unique pieces of art. Blaze strongly believes that he has the talent, determination, creativity and confidence to succeed in this modern unique art form, while actively participating in community and campus activities. His community and volunteer activities include teaching hip hop at Riverdale Dance Center, counseling at Cottingham Public School’s Community Boys Club, and being a leader and choreographer at Rosedale Heights Hip Hop Club. Blaze was a model in the Spring 2013 Toronto Fashion Week, appeared in the national ballet Nutcracker and choreographed his high school 2013 dance presentation.
Sheniel Rochester
Marcia Brown Scholarship Recipient Sheniel Rochester
Sheniel is an extremely focused individual, not only on her schoolwork, but also her musical and sports abilities as well. She is an honor roll student who is able to balance work, school and extracurricular activities while in high school. Sheniel is currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Program at York University and will be majoring in the tenor pan. She volunteers her time to perform in assemblies, school concerts, convocation, church events, and most recently at the Music Monday Concert with Chris Hatfield. Sheniel strives in an environment where she is able to utilize and expand her relationship building and leadership capabilities. In addition to being a member of the West Humber Collegiate Institute’s Steel Band, Sheniel volunteers actively in her community and played on the basketball, soccer and volley ball teams.
Alexandria Montaque
Marcia Brown Productions Scholarship Recipient Alexandria Montaque
Alexandria is a phenomenal young woman whose commitment to excellence is evident in all her endeavors at school and in the community. As a student of St. Thomas High School, she excelled academically and was a honour roll student throughout her high school years. She was a Prefect, a fundraiser for numerous important causes and a champion of world peace. In the wider community, Victoria made her presence felt by organizing various social justice platforms in her quest to creating a better world. Her passion for working on equality issues led her to co-create the Sisters4Sisters Organization, which provides support to women and girls in the community. Alexandria is a sought after youth motivational public speaker who is currently enrolled in the Creative Industries program at Ryerson University.
Renisha Henry
Marcia Brown Productions Scholarship Recipient Renisha Henry
Renisha is a third year student in George Brown College's Theatre Arts - Performance Program. She performs well both in academics as well as in her craft, having received the Sonja Koerner Scholarship given by the Women's Art Association of Canada, in her first year of studies. She aspires to work in production and for theatre companies that are inclusive in providing opportunities to Black artists. Renisha has volunteered extensively in her community, using the arts as a vehicle. She has volunteered with Brampton Music Theatre, including costume making and preparation. She was also part of Brampton Music Theatre's 2017 production of Disney's The Little Mermaid. In addition, she has volunteered with her church community in the Fruitful House's summer camp program, where she supported activities including mask making, theatre shows, painting and more.
Janelle Allan
Marcia Brown Productions Scholarship Recipient Janelle Allan
Janelle is enrolled in the Media Information and Technoculture program at the University of Western Ontario, where she aims to learn about the creative side of advertising and marketing. Due to her passion for digital arts and video editing her ultimate goal is to work in communications, public relations or as a digital artist. Janelle prides herself in being very involved in extracurricular activities at school, church and the wider community. She has proven to be a leader in the AME Church community since early childhood and has taken on various roles including being second vice president and historian of the YPD. While at Bishop Strachan School, she participated on sports teams, was elected as the Grad Prefect, was a junior peer supporter and assisted in planning numerous events such as the Black History Month Chapel.
Osten Conville
Marcia Brown Productions Scholarship Recipient Osten Conville
Osten is a very enthusiastic music student who is dedicated and hard working. As well as being involved in the ensembles at his school, he continually gives back to the program that he is a part of by volunteering with the Grade 9 Music Launch and helping new saxophone players. Outside of music, Osten has been involved in many other areas such as being a member of the track team, while also playing basketball and rugby. In the wider community he has displayed his talents by performing at various events at the Jamaican Canadian Association such as Pickney Sinting and the Father's Day Brunch. Osten is currently enrolled in the Mechatronic Engineering program at the University of Toronto Institute of Technology and his goal is to be a part of next generation of tech experts.
Lionel Izeiyah Wade
Marcia Brown Productions Scholarship Recipient Lionel Izeiyah Wade
Lionel is enrolled in the Bachelor of Applied Arts, Media and Communication Studies program at the University of Guelph-Humber. He aspires to work in the entertainment industry as a television personality, media manager or head of marketing at a large corporation. Coming from a Jamaican immigrant family, the importance of education was emphasized at an early age and he is the first male in his family to attend university. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Lionel maintained honour roll status and was also a member of the Graphic Design Club and basketball teams in high school. He has immersed himself in various forms of art, such as creating short films, YouTube content, and music videos, all aimed at building a diverse portfolio and honing his skills. In his spare time he writes and creates songs, to express himself artistically and expand his creativity.
Daniel Ellis
Marcia Brown Productions Scholarship Recipient Daniel Ellis
Daniel is currently a student at the National Theatre School of Canada pursuing a career in Acting – Theatre Performance. He previously completed a program in Arts and Culture at the University of Toronto, during which time he was very active in various on and off campus extra-curricular activities. These included being the Pledge Treasurer for the Delta Epson Society, a member of the Drama Society and participation in the Annual Drama Festival across all three campuses. Daniel also worked as a Community Artist Apprentice with Red Dress Productions on the Sherbourne Health Centre Mosaic Project, was a member of the Young Creators Unit at Buddies in the Bad Times theatre and a participant in the People Project Arts and Leadership Programing .
Hailey Tate-Donalds
Marcia Brown Productions Scholarship Recipient Hailey Tate-Donalds
Hailey recently graduated from St. Marguerite d'Yoouville Secondary School with honours. She is currently pursuing a career in Television Production at Fanshaw College. Hailey is described as a pleasant, polite, creative and dedicated young person thus making her an ideal candidate for that career. She is a hard worker who balances school work with community service. Hailey strong believes in her community and country as well as the importance of community organizations. She is the recipient of the Catholic Women's League award as a reward for her dedicated community service.
Ashelley Smith
Marcia Brown Productions Scholarship Recipient Ashelley Smith
Ashelley Smith is pursuing a Radio Broadcasting diploma at Humber College. She is conscientious and dedicated individual poised to accomplish her goals. Ashelley is also involved in various activities aimed at giving back to her community. She has volunteered at Culture Fest for the last two years, prepared meals for the community and coordinated the Jamaica Booth. In addition, Ashelley has volunteered at the Ontario Court of Justice as a law clerk.
Shannah-Lee Green
Marcia Brown Productions Scholarship Recipient Shannah-Lee Green
Shannah-Lee Green is pursuing a Media Studies Degree at the University of Guelph-Humber. She intends to explore a career in journalism. She approaches everything she does with passion. Shannah-Lee is also involved in various activities aimed at giving back to her community. She contributed to her school community and volunteered to build a new community centre on a trip to Peru. As well she was a school peer mentor and actively involved in competitive four year varsity level swimmer. Her dedication earned a prestigious coaches award 2014.
Alicia Noad
Marcia Brown Productions Scholarship Recipient
Alicia is at York University in her first year of study as a Cinema and Media Arts Major, specializing in screenwriting. Alicia aspires to be a screenwriter and filmmaker and strives to create stories that center black voices across the African diaspora. When not spending hours working on a new story, Alicia works to make a difference in her school, being one of the student leaders at her high school's BSU, as well as meeting with the principal about various topics concerning black students or international humanitarian crises she wishes to bring to light at school. Her work in her high school has led to her being chosen as the school's nominee for the city-wide Equity Award.
Ria Walling
Marcia Brown Productions Scholarship Recipient
Ria has been accepted into her first year of study at Sheridan College's Honours Bachelor of Film and Television program. Ria aspires to become a successful filmmaker. Ria graduated from Woodlawn High School with an International Baccalaureate Diploma, several subject awards, and as a member of the Principal's List for maintaining an exceptionally high average. For the past two summers, Ria has worked as a summer student for the African Nova Scotian Music Association and the Black Business Initiative's youth division Business is Jammin'. Ria's summer jobs have also included being a camp counsellor in a program focused on introducing African Nova Scotian youth to STEM fields. Additionally, Ria has volunteered at several events and school clubs over the years and most notably has volunteered for two years with her school's Operation Smile Club in which she helped to raise money for children with cleft lip to get corrective surgeries.