The scholarship fund has been created in memory of Nicole Jones who taught for the Alameda Unified School District in the Bay Area for 16 years. Nicole felt a strong tie to children and hoped that she could be a part of their lives and guide them effectively through the wonderful, yet fragile years of being a child. In establishing this scholarship, Acts 4 Kindness wishes to recognize outstanding students and provide aid for their goal of achieving a degree in the field of Education.
Coming Soon…
Acts 4 Kindness has awarded two scholarships for 2022 to graduating high school seniors in Alameda, CA.
Kellsie Pham-Nguyen, Alameda High School winner and Theresa Jones
Alameda High School had their awards ceremony on June 1 and the scholarship was awarded to Kellsie Pham-Nguyen. Kellsie has stated that she has committed to University of California Riverside in their education, human development, and society sector. She wants to have a “direct impact on the humans that make up our lives”. She also hopes to be a part of UCR’s Special Education and Autism Master of Arts program where she can meet those with special needs on a daily basis and help them be seen.
Encinal High School had their awards ceremony on May 26 and awarded The Miss Nicole Jones Memorial Scholarship to Lily Figueroa. Lily plans to pursue a degree in Forensic Psychology at Holy Names University, Oakland, CA and “one day spend time involved in the education and rehabilitation systems for incarcerated people”. Her end goal is to be a professor of Forensic Psychology in an educational establishment that focuses on advancement of oppressed and marginalized people.
Lily Figueroa, Encinal High School
On behalf of Acts 4 Kindness, it is an honor to award the first Miss Nicole Jones Scholarship in the amount of $1,000 to Gabriel Pendergraft who graduated from Alameda High School, Alameda CA in June 2021. This gift, in Miss Jones’s memory, continues her focus on reading and literacy as well as her desire to support the goals of students who intend to enter the field of education. Gabriel intends to major in Computer Engineering while simultaneously earning his teaching credential at Oregon State University in Corvallis starting fall 2021. This scholarship is meant to help Gabriel as he steps toward his goal. Congratulations, Gabriel! We wish you all the best at Oregon State and in your pursuit of a career in the education field.
Acts 4 Kindness has been working on placing a “Reading Bench” at Love Elementary School (formerly Henry Haight Elementary) in Alameda, CA where Nicole taught for 16 years. One of her goals was to teach every student that through reading you could go anywhere and do anything. We hope that this bench will inspire students to enjoy reading as much as Miss Jones did.
Acts 4 Kindness worked with the Alameda Unified School District, Love Elementary staff and the Love Elementary PTA to place a “Reading Bench” at the school that Nicole taught at for 16 years (formerly Henry Haight Elementary) in Alameda, CA.
On Saturday, April 30, 2022, we had the dedication ceremony in the garden at Love Elementary. With about 50 people in attendance, we honored Nicole and her love of reading and sharing that love with her students. Acts 4 Kindness also donated 15 books to the school for the library. It would be the first of many book donations as we go forward.
It was such a beautiful, sunny day for this celebration, and we would like to thank the school, PTA, school district and all the teachers, parents, students and friends and family that attended.
“You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book”
~ Dr. Seuss
