GES Announces Scholarship Winners 2023-24
GES’ CSR program is pleased to announce the scholarship recipients for the 2023-24 academic year. This program was created to reward academic excellence and social responsibility within the GES community, and once again we received applications from many talented individuals. Three recipients will each be awarded a $2,000 scholarship to support their ongoing academic studies.
Jenna Ma
Freshman | Purdue University | Landscape Architecture
Jenna Ma, daughter of Kathy Ma (Exton, PA), will be entering her first year at Purdue University, with a major in Landscape Architecture. Jenna’s love for art, science and technology has paved her way to combine all three into a design professional that promises a meaningful way to change the environment.
On top of taking numerous AP and Honors classes in her high school, Jenna also was the leader of the viola section in the school’s orchestra, and was also a member of both the art and environmental clubs. Outside of school, she joined the local taekwondo community earning the rank of first degree black belt, and going on to instruct fellow students. She is already planning to join the Living Landscape Learning Community at Purdue where she will learn concepts such as landscape design and substainable food and farming systems alongside her fellow peers. Jenna, we have no doubts that your artistic creativity mixed with your love for sustainabilty will make you a very successful landscape architect in the future, we wish you nothing but the best - Congratulations!
Parker Brooks
Freshman | College of Charleston | Commercial Real Estate Finance
Parker Brooks, son of John Brooks III (Richmond, VA) will begin his journey at the College of Charleston majoring in Commercial Real Estate Finance. An excellent student, athlete and role model, Parker graduated with an honors diploma, played academy soccer for Richmond United, and was the captain
of the varsity soccer team of his high school where he was honored being named as the First Team All Regional, First Team All Metro, and Second Team All State Goalkeeper for 2023. A member of the National Honor Society, Math Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, DECA and volunteering to hand out meal packets to the less fortunate, Parker also found the time to start and run his own small landscaping business!
At the College of Charleston, he plans to join many clubs, the College of Charleston Club soccer team
and different internships. His hope is that after graduation he will establish his own commercial real estate company concentrating on development, building, brokering and renting properties with the hopes of also creating properties for low income families looking to move into good neighborhoods with good school systems, unlike what is available to most socio-economic challenged communities that do not provide proper environments to foster a child’s full potential. We’re excited to see where your future will take you Parker, you’re definitely going places! Congratulations to you!
Tori Barnard
Freshman | Radford University | Biomedical Sciences
Tori Barnard, daughter of Justin Barnard, (Blacksburg, VA) will be attending Radford University in the fall for two years to graduate with her bachelor’s degree, with the plan to then attend Wake Forest Medical School or Virginia Tech’s Medical School to become an OBGYN.
Tori is a powerhouse of drive and hard work! Graduating high school with an advanced studies diploma, she also simultaneously received her associates degree from a local college, and a CTE certification in cosmetology! If that isn’t impressive enough, she also worked two jobs, one as a nanny to 3 year old twins, the other as a full time cook at a Sheetz gas station.
Struggling to really pin down what she wanted as a career, she found her calling when a friend of hers had a less comfortable experience as a young pregnant woman. Now with her career path set, Tori’s plans include graduating from college, immediately entering the workforce and eventually having the ability to buy her parents a nice vacation and herself a new car! Best of luck to you Tori, you are a force to be reckoned with, congratulations!