John and Nancy Kennedy would like to encourage and support education majors from urban backgrounds and create a connection between students and the Gerald Dawkins Academy. The intent of the initiators is that the student selected for this scholarship will engage with the Academy in a meaningful way and be intentionally placed at Gerald Dawkins Academy for their internship semester, as long as the required grade level and qualifying mentor teacher be available.

• Recipients for this scholarship shall have been accepted for or currently enrolled at Grand Valley State University (GVSU).
• They must be an undergraduate sophomore and enrolled full time in one of the qualifying teacher preparation majors within the College of Education and Community Innovation.
• Recipients must have a cumulative minimum grade point average of 3.2 or greater on a 4.0 scale and shall be making satisfactory academic progress according to the norms established by the University and the teacher preparation program. The qualifying majors are PK-3, 3-6, and PK-6.
• Preference should be given to students who attended Grand Rapids Public Schools or Muskegon Public Schools