Zion's off to FAMU!

Hello, my name is Zion Kelly and I am raising funds to assist with my four-year college tuition at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. I have received a $2000 FAMU grant and a $2500 DCTAG grant so far. I am still hopeful to receive unknown amounts from scholarships that I have submitted.

I am a senior at Thurgood Marshall Academy in Washington, D.C. and I am a gun violence survivor. My twin brother, Zaire, was killed on his walk home from College Bound, a competitive college mentoring program on September 20, 2017.

In a coordinated effort with student leaders, I have tried to amplify the discussion of gun violence with respect to class, race, and socioeconomics. I have made multiple media appearances. I have lobbied to effect change to Washington, D.C. law with my family’s proposal of the Zaire Kelly Public Safety Zone Amendment Act of 2018 (expanding both safety zones and the legal definition of “students”). I am using social media to urge specific local Councilmembers to vote in a bill that would to lower the Washington, D.C., voting age to 16—giving youth a stronger voice in political discourse.

I will earn a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a minor in business from FAMU, the class of 2022.

I will also continue to advocate against gun violence while in college. I will continue to fight in the memory of my brother, who was a person, a leader, an inspirer; not just another statistic.