WASHINGTON — Twelve Howard University students were named recipients of the inaugural James Patterson Writer Education Scholarship. In September 2022, Howard University announced their partnership with best-selling author James Patterson and the Patterson Family Foundation for scholarships to encourage and support beginning writers.

The James Patterson Writer Education Scholarship was created to support students who are committed to teaching creative writing and/ or being a creative writer as well as promoting literacy and a love of reading. First year students (undergraduate or graduate) from all disciplines were invited to apply. Nearly 150 students applied, and twelve students were recently selected by the scholarship committee. Each student has been awarded a $10,000 scholarship to be used toward tuition during the Spring 2023 semester.

On Tuesday, February 21, the James Patterson Writer Education Scholars met on Zoom to celebrate their accomplishments as well as meet and connect with their scholarship cohort. To their surprise and delight, the scholars were joined by Mr. James Patterson and Mr. Robert Barnett, Patterson’s attorney and longtime friend.

It was a memorable morning as Mr. Patterson shared insight on his writing journey: from his work once being turned down by over thirty publishers, in the beginning of his career, to becoming a world’s best-selling author. Mr. Patterson offered advice on a variety of topics, including overcoming feelings of self-doubt, skillfully writing across multiple genres, and defeating writer’s block. Without a doubt, the scholars were inspired by the words of Mr. Patterson and expressed their honor and gratitude for the opportunity.

Meet the Scholars

Graduate Students

Cecily Duffie (she/her) - Cecily Duffie is a first-year English/African American literature doctoral student from Miami, Florida. Her writing interests include creative non-fiction and fiction. Duffie intends to pursue a career in both writing and teaching writing. She has a desire to write about neglected and ignored viewpoints of real events, such as the first assassination attempt on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., through research-based historical fiction. Additionally, Duffie hopes to develop Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing programs at several HBCUs as well as start a network of writing classes, seminars, and workshops for undergraduate students.

Jose Portillo (he/him) - Jose Portillo is a first-year Master of Fine Arts in Film student from New Orleans, Louisiana. His writing interests include poetry, creative non-fiction, screenplays, and scripts. Portillo intends to pursue a career in both writing and teaching writing. He hopes to become a professor as well as an independent filmmaker, specializing in screenwriting.

Miah Pankey (she/her) - Miah Pankey is a first-year Master of Social Work student from Charlotte, North Carolina. Her writing interest is fiction, and she wrote a children’s book titled “The Poofy Haired Princess” inspired by her childhood experiences. Pankey intends to pursue a career in both writing and teaching writing. Upon completion of her bachelor’s degree, Pankey taught fourth grade literacy for three years. Currently, she is studying to become a social worker to be a mental health clinician. She hopes to incorporate her love of reading and storytelling into her social work practice by writing children’s literature depicting Black culture, creativity, problem-solving, and emotional expression.

Lillian Agosto Maldonado (she/her) - Lillian Agosto Maldonado is a first-year Communication, Culture, & Media Studies doctoral student from Puerto Rico. Her writing interest is creative non-fiction, and her work has been published in Univision Radio, Hispanic L.A., ESPN, Spotlight on Poverty & Opportunity, EdSurge, Feet in 2 Worlds, Borderzine, Hip Latina, Buena Vibra, SalSoul, SembraMedia, FELAFACS, The European Scientific Journal, and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. In addition, Agosto Maldonado is the founder and editor-in-chief of Mundos Paralelos, a magazine exploring the Puerto Rican diaspora identity through cultural representation. She intends to pursue a career in writing and teaching writing. Her hope is to continue to explore journalism and creative writing as well as educate others on how to tell stories from and for underserved people of Puerto Rico and Latino communities in the United States.

Sarah Jenkins (she/they) - Sarah Jenkins is a first-year English/African American Literature doctoral student from Berlin, Maryland. Her writing interests include poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction. Jenkins’ work has been published in Echoes & Visions, a student-produced national award-winning publication at Wor-Wic Community College. Jenkins intends to pursue a career in both writing and teaching writing. Jenkins credits her passion for Black literature to the works of James Patterson, Toni Morrison, and W.E.B. DuBois. She hopes to teach at the local college in her hometown to share her knowledge of literature and writing as well as her love of reading with her community.

Tynesha McCullers (she/her) - Tynesha McCullers is a first-year Communication, Culture, & Media Studies doctoral student from Raleigh, North Carolina. Her writing interests include poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction. McCullers’ work has been published in the Black Youth Project, a national research project examining the attitudes, resources, and culture of African American youth. She intends to pursue a career in both writing and teaching writing. In addition to continuing to teach courses in Communication, Critical Literacy, and Composition, McCullers hopes to publish various novels, short stories, and longform pieces in literary and journalistic genres.

Undergraduate Students

Chimdindu Okafor (she/her) - Chimdindu Okafor is a freshman health management major from Newark, New Jersey. Her writing interest is creative non-fiction, and her work has been published in the “Chalkbeat,” a non-profit news organization committed to highlighting efforts to improve schools for all children. Okafor intends to pursue a career as a writer. She hopes to help curate opportunities for the next generation of Black youth writers to unlock generational healing, achieve community wellbeing, and find their voices in writing.

Jalyn Cameron (she/her) - Jalyn Cameron is a freshman English major from New York, New York by way of Atlanta, Georgia. Her writing interests include poetry, fiction, screenplays, and scripts. Cameron is the founder and editor-in-chief of The Gen Z Times, a youth-led publication created in 2020. Additionally, Cameron is the co-author of “Grateful as Ever Daily Quarantine Notes: Finding Solace During the Coronavirus Pandemic,” a collection of poetry and prose that documents her personal experience during the first one hundred days of isolation during the coronavirus pandemic in New York City. Cameron intends to pursue a career as a writer and she hopes to promote a widespread love for literature, especially among young people.

Jennifer McKenzie (she/her) - Jennifer McKenzie is a freshman sociology major, journalism minor from Jamaica, Queens, New York. Her writing interests include poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction. She credits her exposure to the works of Maya Angelou, Toni Morrison, and James Baldwin to her interest in creative writing. McKenzie intends to pursue a career in writing and teaching writing. She aims to become an educator and serve as an advocate for underfunded neighborhoods and communities. Furthermore, McKenzie hopes to work with various organizations to publish their findings on the importance of how a shift in dynamics can push marginalized groups towards addressing the long-term commitments in advancing the community.

Lauryn Allotey (she/her) - Lauryn Allotey is a freshman computer science student from Twin Cities, Minnesota. Her writing interests include poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction. Allotey intends to pursue a career as a writer as well as a computer scientist. Her goal is to use technological avenues and develop computer tools that make literacy more accessible throughout various communities.

Mary Betterson (she/her) - Mary Betterson is a freshman sociology and criminology double major from Elyria, Ohio. Her writing interest is creative non-fiction. Since a young age, Betterson has had a strong interest in reading and literacy. She credits Isabel Wilkerson’s Caste: The Origins of Discontents as the work that truly gave her the words to express her passion and love for reading. Betterson intends to pursue a career in teaching writing. Additionally, she hopes to become a civil rights attorney and open her own non-profit legal firm.

Zoe Cummings (she/her) - Zoe Cummings is a freshman Journalism student from Cincinnati, Ohio. Her writing interests include poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction, and she considers her primary focus to be slam poetry. Cummings views the highlights of her writing career to be teaching her original poetry to a seventh-grade English class and winning “Louder Than a Bomb,” the world’s largest teen poetry competition. Additionally, Cummings’ work has been published in The Chatterbox, the student-run publication at her alma mater, Walnut Hills High School. She intends to pursue a career in writing and teaching writing. Cummings desires to have many careers in media, including as a journalist, novelist, and poet. Her goal is to take part in Black literary tradition of speaking truth to power and creating space for Black stories to be told gracefully, joyfully, and powerfully.

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