Media Contact: Emily Mercer;
EMercer@DallasCollege.edu
For immediate release — Dec. 4, 2024
(DALLAS) — The Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Foundation named Beniela Pascaltchi Djereke, Cichez Dounley, Amanda Moore and Justina Ojiemudia as new scholars for Fall 2024. In addition to tuition and books, the
Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Endowed Scholarship provides one-on-one mentoring, access to counseling services and other social and educational enrichment activities.
Established by the DFW Private Equity Forum in 1999, the scholarship is named for Erin Tierney Kramp, a young woman whose courageous battle with breast cancer touched many lives. Recipients are selected for their demonstrated perseverance and courage in the face of adversity. Also, each enrolled scholarship recipient is eligible to apply for the Erin Tierney Kramp Emergency Grant of up to $2,500 as well as the Erin Tierney Kramp Continuing Education Grant of up to $5,000 to continue their education beyond an associate degree.
During their Fall orientation, a few of this year’s recipients and Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Foundation President
Michael Brown were interviewed.
Meet Brown and some of the Kramp scholars in this video playlist.
Beniela Pascaltchi Djereke
Beniela Pascaltchi Djereke
Beniela Pascaltchi Djereke grew up in Ivory Coast until age 13, when she escaped a violent protest against the educational system to safely continue her studies in France. She found herself alone in a foreign country where she shared a language but not a culture. She readily became skilled in observation, emotional intelligence, communication and determination. Djereke was still learning English when she arrived in the United States one year ago. She currently lives with a foster family and works at Home Depot. She sees Dallas College as her first step in achieving her career goals. Meet Beniela Pascaltchi Djereke.
Cichez Dounley
Cichez Dounley
Eight years ago, Cichez Dounley was a single parent to six children after a divorce, living in a one-bedroom apartment. Despite the challenges, she worked three jobs to support her family. With a renewed focus on personal growth, she earned her GED diploma and began her journey in higher education. Now a Chancellor’s Honor Roll student and member of Phi Theta Kappa at Dallas College, Dounley plans to use the Southern Methodist University Honors Transfer Scholarship through the Erin Tierney Kramp Foundation to complete her bachelor’s degree in computer science. She aspires to become an artificial intelligence ethics consultant, turning her entrepreneurial dreams into reality and inspiring other women to overcome similar challenges.
Meet Cichez Dounley.
Amanda Moore
After she and her children fled to a women’s shelter, Amanda Moore worked as a server and earned her GED diploma in 2005. The single parent committed to creating a better life for her daughters. As they grew up, she began taking classes at Dallas College North Lake Campus. A few semesters in, Moore took time off to launch her business, Pristine Cleaning and Organizing. She found success as an entrepreneur. Now that her children are grown, she’s going to finish her associate degree in business management and administration and then plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in applied science with a concentration in administration. “I am a woman who believes that great, dynamic people with proper ethics can change the world,” she said.
Justina Ojiemudia
Justina Ojiemudia
Within the past two years, Justina Ojiemudia experienced the profound loss of both her mother and father to preventable cancers. Despite the heartache, Ojiemudia was deeply moved by the dedication and compassion of the health care workers she encountered. She not only experienced a firsthand look at the impact of quality medical care but also became inspired to pursue a medical degree herself. She is now committed to becoming a doctor, starting with Dallas College’s nursing program as her first milestone.
Meet Justina Ojiemudia.
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About Dallas College Foundation
Dallas College Foundation is an independent 501(c)3 that advances economic mobility for students by channeling the power of philanthropy to lift Dallas College to new heights of innovation, equity and excellence. Since its creation in 1973, the foundation has raised more than $103 million in private donations and distributed more than $71 million in scholarships and grants to support thousands of students at Dallas College.
About Dallas College
Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2025, Dallas College consists of seven campuses — Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake and Richland — plus a dozen centers located throughout Dallas County. As one of the largest community colleges in the U.S., Dallas College offers online and in-person learning, serving more than 127,000 credit, workforce and continuing education students annually. Students benefit from partnerships with local school districts, four-year universities, industry and community leaders. Dallas College offers associate degree and career/technical certificate programs in more than 100 areas of study, as well as bachelor’s degrees in education and nursing. As the largest provider of dual credit in Texas, Dallas College serves 30,000 high school students through 63 dual credit programs.
About Erin Tierney Kramp Foundation
The
Erin Tierney Kramp Encouragement Foundation was founded in 1999 by the DFW Private Forum in memory of Erin Tierney Kramp. Since inception, the foundation has awarded approximately 60 college scholarships to deserving domestic and international students who have demonstrated courage and perseverance in the face of adversity. In 2008, the foundation established two upper-level transfer scholarships at Southern Methodist University (SMU). Since then, 20 scholarship recipients have graduated from SMU. In 2012, one upper-level transfer scholarship was established at Austin College, and two scholarship students have attended Austin College. The foundation provides access to other leadership, mentoring and cultural programs throughout the year.