Girl Wins Black History Maker Scholarship

It’s not every teen-ager who considers her high school days “a time to work.”

But Shameka Allen, 17, a junior at Granada Hills High School’s math-science-technology magnet program has made a commitment to her schoolwork. And that helped her receive a scholarship from McDonald’s Corp. for being a “Black History Maker of Tomorrow.”

Every year, McDonald’s selects 10 African American youths across the nation for this award. Shameka will receive a total of $3,000 in scholarship money to go toward her college education.

Since the beginning of her junior year, Shameka has been applying to contests for scholarship money so that she can go to her dream college, Howard University in Washington, D.C., where she plans to pursue a double major in communications and child psychology.

Shameka, a Lake View Terrace resident, also recently won an essay contest in connection with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and a trip to Japan in the spring through the Young Embassador’s Program.

She won the McDonald’s award for an essay she titled, “How I Plan to Make an Impact on Black History,” about her experience helping her niece do her homework.

She wrote:

“I realized I was not doing too well in tutoring my 7-year-old niece in math when she was not able to answer the questions without my prompting her. It took over an hour--including the times she decided that she was ‘stupid’ and gave up--for me to help her to understand and complete the work.

“I was awarded with the most special gift when we finished: She hugged me, kissed me on my cheek, and said, ‘Thank-you, Auntie Meka, for helping me understand.’ ”

In an interview, Shameka said about her experience with her niece, “I don’t know if it inspired me, but it made me realize that I can make a difference in someone’s life.”