MLB hosts 'the best and the brightest' in JRF scholars

Jackie Robinson’s impact on the world continues to leave a mark on today’s future leaders.

Alana Mensah is one of them.

“The Jackie Robinson Foundation has created so many opportunities for me that I wouldn’t have had without it,” said Mensah, a JRF scholar who attends Howard University. “I’m just so grateful to be here and take advantage of all the opportunities presented to me.”

Fifty years ago, the Jackie Robinson Foundation was established not only to honor the legacy of the baseball icon but to provide educational opportunities through the awarding of scholarships, mentoring, job placement and leadership development opportunities to aspiring college students with financial need. Since then, JRF has raised over $100 million and sent 1,800-plus students to 250 colleges with a 98 percent graduation rate.

MLB has been a partner of the Jackie Robinson Foundation since the inception of the program and has partnered up with its scholars since 2012. On March 13, MLB hosted 31 scholars from the foundation at its central office in New York.

Each year, 30 scholars are paired to work with an MLB team, and one is paired with the league office.

“We make sure they have access to talk to us year-round to get mentoring and professional development advice,” said MLB vice president of social responsibility April Brown. “We highlight them all throughout the year but especially around Jackie Robinson Day. We help set them to be successful in the future in whatever career they choose to enter.”

The event was part of the scholars' annual Mentoring and Leadership Conference. At the sponsored luncheon, the scholars were able to hone their skills in professional development, which included establishing a professional social media presence, résumé and cover letter writing, and job interview preparation.

The scholars obtain $35,000 over four years by completing community service and complying with the core values that reflect the life and legacy of Robinson: discipline, integrity, humility, compassion and courage.

“The foundation has changed my life over the course of my academic career,” said JRF scholar and University of Texas student Jordan Cochran. “I feel like the Jackie Robinson Foundation saw something in myself that I always believed I’ve had. Having that validation really makes me believe that I can go anywhere in life.”

The Jackie Robinson Museum opened in New York in August 2022. MLB is the largest donor to the museum and aims to educate young people about Robinson’s history as a player and civil rights activist.

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The museum has artifacts, videos and interactive experiences to illustrate Robinson’s impact on equal opportunity through activism, civic engagement and economic empowerment efforts.

“It’s important to partner with the Jackie Robinson Foundation for many reasons,” MLB director of community affairs Kevin Moss said. “One of them is to close the equity gap ... as it relates to education. It just makes so much sense because of our relationship, and because Jackie Robinson was so important to MLB’s legacy.”

Sonya Pankey, the Robinsons’ first granddaughter and board director, was at the event and praised the students for their eagerness to succeed in life.

“Having that strong foundation that you can learn [from] here,” Pankey said, “whether it is leadership skills or one of those critical skills necessary for anyone in life to move on, I think if you have that strong foundation, it can take you anywhere in life.

“Seeing this next generation and their capabilities in the future warms my heart. These kids are the best and the brightest. I think we can also learn from them and see what they will contribute to in the future to society.”

The Jackie Robinson Foundation scholars invited to this year’s event are as follows:

Autumn Adeyan
Saint Mary’s College of California
Biology/Pre-Medicine Studies
Class of 2024

Emmanuella Alawode
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Biology/Pre-Medicine Studies
Class of 2024

Allison Alston
University of Virginia
Global Studies
Class of 2024

Olusola Babalola
Harvard University
Human Developmental & Regenerative Biology/Pre-Medicine Studies
Class of 2024

Justin Banks
University of Illinois at Chicago
Integrated Health Studies/Pre-Medicine Studies
Class of 2024

Chase Brown
Rice University
Political Science and Spanish
Class of 2024

Isaiah Clark
University of California, Los Angeles
Sociology
Class of 2024

Arielle Clarke
Columbia University
Neuroscience/Pre-Medicine Studies
Class of 2024

Vashti Claybrook
Cornell University
Human Biology, Health and Society
Class of 2024

Jordan Cochran
University of Texas at Austin
Economics
Class of 2024

Raven DeLora
University of Washington
Public Health and Psychology
Class of 2025

Ella Elbeck
Cornell University
Biological Sciences
Class of 2024

Julius Ewungkem
Harvard University
Integrative Biology
Class of 2024

Rhea Goodwyn
Xavier University
Political Science
Class of 2024

Kristen Harriott
Harvard University
Neurobiology & Neurosciences
Class of 2024

Kaija Harlow
Towson University
Biology and Animal Behavior
Class of 2024

Germaine Harvey
Case Western Reserve University
Biochemistry/Pre-Medicine Studies
Class of 2024

Kenyon Hill
Vanderbilt University
Political Science and Human & Organization
Class of 2024

Dylan Johnson
Tufts University
Sociology
Class of 2024

Kailen Mayfield
University of Virginia
Youth & Social Innovation
Class of 2023

Alana Mensah
Howard University
Psychology
Class of 2024

Tagwa Salih
Arizona State University
Global Health/Pre-Medicine Studies
Class of 2024

Jersie Thomas
Miami University
Information Technology
Class of 2024

Emerson Wright
University of California, Santa Cruz
Biology
Class of 2024

Imani Robinson
University of California, Los Angeles
Political Science
Class of 2024

Innua Robinson
The Cooper Union
Fine Arts -- Painting and Printmaking
Class of 2024

Roman Scott
Stanford University
Management Science & Engineering
Class of 2025

Imaan Stephens
University of South Florida
Biomedical Sciences/Pre-Medicine Studies
Class of 2024

Natural Taylor
Harvard University
Environmental Engineering and Computer Science
Class of 2024

Mikayla Tillery
Stanford University
Urban Studies and African & African American Studies
Class of 2025