Boyd Bey and Gentry are 2022 Ron Register Scholars

Scholarship recipient Keonshae "Shae" Boyd, at his graduation.

In late May, at an awards program at Cleveland Heights High School, two talented and accomplished Heights graduates, Troy Gentry and Keonshae "Shae" Boyd Bey, were named recipients of the 2022–23 Ron Register Scholarship Awards. Each receives a cash award of $2,500.

Boyd Bey excelled academically, and was captain of the football and wrestling teams, and a member of student council and the track team. He maintained a better-than-B GPA, and was involved in community activities assisting the less fortunate. He worked with and on behalf of the homeless, helping out at a local food pantry, and organizing a winter coat drive. 

Gentry was a member of the National Honor Society and class council. His academic achievements are especially impressive considering that, outside of class, he was active in a variety of school clubs and athletics, including wrestling and MSAN, as well as community volunteering. He juggled all of that while maintaining a 3.9 GPA.

The scholarship is named in honor of Ron Register, who served on the Cleveland Heights-University Heights Board of Education (BOE) for 16 years. He served as board president for four terms.

Register's passion for quality public education, and his commitment to social, economic, and racial justice, are some of the criteria the committee uses to evaluate scholarship applicants.

The scholarship committee—Doris Allen, Reg. T. Evans, Susie Kaeser, Louisa Oliver, Quentin Smith, and Diana Woodbridge—noted that the two recipients exemplify some of Register's endearing qualities: namely, selflessly giving back to the community while pursuing personal excellence. The committee is confident these two young men will make an indelible and positive mark on society.

The scholarship was initiated in 2019, a year after Register stepped down from the BOE. That year, and in every subsequent year, two remarkable students have been awarded a Ron Register Scholarship.  

In conceiving the scholarship, the Black Caucus of Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian, immediately reached out to the broader church and surrounding community.

The scholarship committee was, and remains, multi-racial, comprising members of both the community and the church, which administers the program.

Those interested in learning more about, or wishing to contribute to, the Ron Register Scholarship can contact Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian (www.fhcpresb.org).

Quentin Smith

A transplanted former New York resident, Quentin Smith is a member of Forest Hill Church, Presbyterian, and the Ron Register Scholarship Committee. 

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Volume 15, Issue 7, Posted 10:15 AM, 07.01.2022