American Experience Foundation Awards First David Iselin Scholarship for Community Service Among Other 2019 Scholarships

(Washington, DC) – Today the American Experience Foundation (AEF) awarded nine deserving students with scholarships to acknowledge their various achievements in and out of the classroom. The students all graduated from or attend one of DC’s four Academies of Hospitality and Tourism (AOHT) –Ballou Senior High School, Bell Multicultural High School at Columbia Heights Educational Campus, Maya Angelou Public Charter School and Woodrow Wilson Senior High School. AEF is a 501(c) (3) public charity that enriches the lives of low-income students through inspirational travel experiences to the nation’s capital. It is the philanthropic arm of Destination DC (DDC), the official destination marketing organization for Washington, DC. 

AEF awards the Gregory McCarthy Scholarship Award, recognizing exemplary leadership qualities; five academy scholarships, recognizing graduating seniors; two academy alumni scholarships, which provide ongoing support to deserving DC AOHT high school graduates and the new David Iselin Scholarship for Community Service, which goes to a student who has contributed beyond the classroom. The inaugural David Iselin Scholarship for Community Service honor celebrates the life of DDC colleague David Iselin, who unexpectedly passed away in March 2018. In addition to his talents as a hospitality professional, David was committed to serving his community and the foundation. His parents, Lauren and Harold Iselin, have generously funded the scholarship and will match contributions up to $5,000 made to the AEF scholarship fund at americanexperiencefoundation.org/donate this spring.

“Working with AEF students and supporting their career development through annual scholarships and field trips is one of the highlights of my career,” said Elliott L. Ferguson, II, president and CEO of DDC. “This year, it’s truly an honor to be able to remember and honor David’s commitment and passion for service through this new community service scholarship and the generosity of his parents.”

AEF and DDC congratulate the following award recipients:

David Iselin Scholarship for Community Service ($2,500)

•  Adam Temesgen, Columbia Heights Educational Campus

Academy Scholarships ($2,500)

• Andre Jones, Maya Angelou Public Charter School

• Loriel Taylor, Maya Angelou Public Charter School

• Britney Rivera-Martinez, Woodrow Wilson Senior High School

• Amya Mckoy, Ballou Senior High School

Additional Academy Scholarship ($1,000)

• Jose Martinez, Columbia Heights Educational Campus

Academy Alumni Scholarships ($2,500)

• Deranique Graydon, University of the District of Columbia [graduate of Ballou Senior High School]

• Diamond Hunter, Temple University [graduate of Woodrow Wilson Senior High School]

Gregory McCarthy Scholarship Award for exemplary leadership ($2,500)

• Zoe Roberts, George Mason University [graduate of Woodrow Wilson Senior High School]

Individual ceremonies take place at each school to recognize the award recipients. On May 29, Ballou’s AOHT celebrated its academy scholarship awardee in addition to announcing its recent accomplishment of reaching the National Academy Foundation (NAF)’s Distinguished Status for 2019. The designation is given to select academies that have reached Model level on NAF’s annual assessment, exhibiting strong fidelity to an educational design that prepares students for success in college and careers.  On May 30, Columbia Heights Educational Campus celebrated its David Iselin Scholarship for Community Service recipient Adam Temesgen with an awards presentation from Lauren and Harold Iselin. 

“David was a young man who exemplified many admirable qualities, from his dedication to his work at Destination DC to his involvement throughout the community and with local charities,” said Lauren Iselin.  “We are thrilled to award this year’s scholarship to Adam, who demonstrates the same attributes that made David such a wonderful person and successful professional,” said Harold Iselin. “We look forward to supporting AEF for many years.”  Woodrow Wilson Senior High School and Maya Angelou Public Charter School host their award ceremonies on June 5 and June 11 respectively.  Funds will be released directly to the students’ higher education or training programs upon their successful completion of hospitality academy coursework and high school degrees. If the student is not a graduating senior or will defer enrollment, scholarship funds will also be deferred. AEF continues to provide DC students with access to employability skills training, work-based learning and internship opportunities in their career fields of interest through field trips throughout the year. Workplace learning is an essential part of AEF’s college and career readiness mission and AEF looks forward to hosting three career ready interns this summer from Ballou Senior High School, Bell Multicultural High School at Columbia Heights Educational Campus and Woodrow Wilson Senior High School. 

The American Experience Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity affiliated with Destination DC, enriches the lives of students through inspirational travel experiences and educational opportunities to cultivate the next generation of hospitality industry professionals. AEF offers students an introduction to the wonder of travel and exposure to hospitality career paths through: free field trips for low-income 8th graders from Washington, DC and across the country; scholarships to qualified DC high school Academies of Hospitality and Tourism students and graduates; and educational programs to connect students to hospitality industry professionals and ensure college and career readiness. americanexperiencefoundation.org

Destination DC, the official destination marketing organization for the nation’s capital, is a private, non-profit membership organization of 1,000 businesses committed to marketing the area as a premier global convention, tourism and special events destination with a special emphasis on the arts, cultural and historic communities.  washington.org

Contact

Danielle Davis, Director of Communications

Destination DC & American Experience Foundation 

202-789-7046

[email protected] 

Rebecca Doser, Media Relations Manager,

Trade Destination DC & American Experience Foundation 

202-789-7079

[email protected]

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