As part of Prairie View A&M University’s capital campaign, Dr. Tawana Edwards, an alumna and founder of Smile Support Ltd., presented the first scholarship of the Dr. Tawana Edwards Endowment Scholarship Fund to sophomore biology major Alexis Washington on Nov. 9.
In January of 2008, Edwards laid the foundation of her fund by donating $100,000 to the capital campaign, an amount that was matched dollar for dollar by the state of Texas. Edwards’ scholarship fund primarily focuses on students majoring in biology.
On her recent visit to Prairie View, Edwards brought along a surprise for one special student. During a seminar that focused on introducing the freshmen biology majors to bone marrow transplants and the world of dentistry, Edwards made a surprise appearance. Sophomore biology major Alexis Washington was originally scheduled to speak to the freshmen about her experiences while studying biology at Prairie View.
Throughout the course of Washington’s address to the freshmen biology majors, the head of the biology department, Dr. Harriette Howard-Lee Block, interrupted Washington. The purpose of Block’s intrusion was to introduce Washington to her role model, Edwards. Upon first glance of Edwards, Washington greeted her with excitement and affection. However, Washington was unaware that Edwards was about to present her with a $10,000 check, making her the first recipient of the Tawana Edwards Endowment Scholarship Fund.
Edwards decided earlier to eliminate the need for the winning student to have to piecemeal additional funds to satisfy his/her annual tuition bill.
Edwards said, “If you are awarded my scholarship, you need only to focus on studying and maintaining a 3.0 average such that you can apply for it next year.”
Washington said, “I originally applied for this scholarship in September, and seeing how so much time had passed, I figured that I wasn’t going to get it. Receiving this scholarship really touched my heart, because I can see myself starting my own practice and doing similar things toward the achievements that Edwards has accomplished. She’s putting the foundation down for us, which means that we have to not only meet her expectations, but exceed them as well.”
A 1990 graduate of Prairie View, Edwards received a degree in biology, before going on to continue her studies at the University of Michigan’s School of Dentistry in 1994.
Since then, Edwards has gone on to start her own school-based dental program, Smile Support. Edwards’ program primarily focuses on the children of Chicago and provides on-the-go dental services to students with the use of mobile dental equipment.
Smile Support currently has municipal contracts with the Chicago Public School system, and the Chicago Department of Public Health.
Since her graduation from PVAMU, Edwards has achieved a number of recognizable credentials. A member of the National Dental Association, American Dental Association, Illinois State Dental Society, Chicago Dental Society, and the American Association of Women Dentists, Edwards has made her mark in the world of dentistry.
Her latest notable contribution was her involvement with PVAMU’s capital campaign. Edwards decided to assist with the program by opening up her own scholarship fund titled, “Dr. Tawana Edwards Endowment Scholarship Fund,” a scholarship that requires a minimum GPA of 3.0.
Edwards said, “My motivation for creating this fund came around the time of my 40th birthday. I realized that this was a defining moment in my life, so I wanted to do something that gave back to the students. I feel that nobody can buy gifts for me, so when the fund was created, I asked everyone who wanted to buy me a personal gift for my birthday to donate to my scholarship fund.”
Block said, “Edwards has been so blessed financially. I feel that she is the epitome for those who have achieved financial success who should reach back and give to the university.”