2024 Children of Courage Scholarship Award Recipient
The "Children of Courage" Scholarship Award is aimed at improving the relationship between law enforcement agencies and the youth of the communities of color that they serve. This program seeks to enhance higher education opportunities among qualified high school graduates, providing a financial award that will afford students the opportunity to have higher educational training in the academics of law enforcement or other related areas for the betterment of the Criminal Justice System.
Milan Grace Hood is a senior at Maria Regina High School in Hartsdale, NY. She has a strong drive for academics which led her to convincing her parents to allow her to transfer to Maria Regina HS, an all-girls Private Catholic school from a public school, just as she was to begin her junior year of high school. This transition was challenging, but important as she was seeking a stronger, and more rigorous curriculum. She felt that this change was necessary to better prepare herself for college.
While at Maria Regina HS, Milan remained an honor roll student, maintaining a 90.91 GPA, taking honors level classes, college level and Advanced Placement (AP) Government and Psychology courses. At her former high school, she was inducted into the National Honor Society and while at Maria Regina high school, she was inducted into the National Italian Honor Society and received the schools “Most outstanding student award in the field of Business”. She speaks both Spanish and Italian. This transition proved to be beneficial as she has excelled academically, athletically and became more involved with community service.
She was involved with several clubs at school: Peers As Leaders Program (mentoring younger students), the Robotics Club and the Asian American Club. Outside of school she participated in community service activities, such as the Food Pantry at Mt. Carmel Church, assisting the Westchester-Rockland Guardians Association and YWCA with their turkey and holiday toy drives for families at a local shelter, The Helping Hands Program (Preparing meals for the homeless) and many more. The one experience that she found to be the most humbling and rewarding was participating in a program called “Box City”. Myself and other students imitated the homeless by sleeping outside in a cardboard box in inclement weather, overnight for 12 hours, with only a blanket, no food or phones. This empowered her to be even more mindful, giving and caring towards others.
She is a former member of the Varsity Track & Field and the Varsity Volleyball team, helping to lead her team to the State championship two years in a row, receiving recognition as the “Top right outside hitter in the Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA).
While at Maria Regina High School, she developed a strong interest in accounting and business. Her hope is to be an accountant and work in the field of Finance Internationally. Hence, she has decided to continue her education in Economics, and will be attending Lafayette College, in Easton, PA, in the fall of 2024.