Meet the 2013 MLK Scholars

Scholar Bio

Robyn Blackman

I am a Junior Public Health major with a minor in Management. I am a member of the Shades of Movement Dance Troop and an alumnus of the Diversity Leadership Institute. A mentor in both the CONECT Mentoring Program and ESSENCE Mentoring Program, I find joy in investing in the cohort and classes that follow mine. I am also the Student Government Association Director of External Affairs as well as an intern at New Roots- a public health organization dedicated to addressing food justice issues in the Kentucky. Being a MLK Scholar has been a tremendous blessing over the past few years. Being a member of the first cohort, I have watched the program flourish as an environment for greatness. I am thankful for the advisors and opportunities that this program has provided for my cohort and I. As MLK Scholars, my colleagues and I have high expectations of ourselves and each other. In the past we have exceeded these expectations and as we look to the future we will continue to do just that. Robyn’s peace/social justice area of interest is access to quality education.

Isaiah Lewis

I am a double major in English and Political Science and a double minor in Spanish and History in hopes of becoming an attorney. The MLK Scholars program is an extraordinary program that allows for the individuals who partake in it to interact with each other and open up connections to the outside world. We are involved in helping people all around the community in trying to instill peace and justice values in each and every individual. With doing events such as Wayside, we are able to give back to our community in multiple ways. My favorite college experience is meeting people from all over the country and world who are here to achieve the same thing I am...and education. It amazes me how one thing such as education can bring so many people together. Isaiah’s peace/social justice area of interest is equality through fair taxation.

Jason Jewell

I am currently a Junior Political Science major. Along with my participation in the MLK Scholars Program, I am a McConnell Scholar and Harlan Scholar. For the 2015-2016 school year, I will be serving as Assistant to the Executive Vice President of Student Government Association. Over the past year or two, the importance of this scholars program has become paramount as we must seek to defend black lives in all facets of life. I can't break college down to one favorite moment, whether it be sledding at 2am, 1am runs to Burger Boy or all the little moments that make a great day, the greatest times of college come alongside some of your closest friends, as mine have. Somehow most of the time, the joy and freedom of college drown out the stress of the work. Jason's peace/social justice area of interest is poverty and equal rights.

Korri Woods

I am a junior with a major in Accountancy and a minor in Accounting. In addition to participating in the MLK Scholars Program, I am also a Cardinal Covenant recipient and try my best to regularly stay involved within both programs. Over the years here, I have been a blogger for Cards Voice (the University's official blogging team), selected as a Resident Assistant and now for a 2nd year, member of the National Residence Hall Honorary Society, and founded my own RSO - Cardinal Hip Hop Club. What I like most about the Martin Luther King Scholars Program is the bond that I have been able to build with not just other MLK Scholars, but with faculty members, teachers, and students that I otherwise wouldn't know. My favorite moment as a MLK Scholar was being part of the interview process for the next cohort of MLK Scholars. For the first time, I realized that my name as a MLK Scholar means something to other incoming students and that it provides a truly unique opportunity that some students need and otherwise wouldn't have. Korri's peace/social justice area of interest is social equality as a globally engaged citizen