Release:
May 25, 2020
Atlanta (May 25, 2020) – The Judge Willie J. Lovett, Jr. Scholarship Program (the “Lovett Scholarship Program”) proudly announces the recipient of the 2020 Judge Willie J. Lovett, Jr. Scholarship (the “Lovett Scholarship”). The 2020 Lovett Scholarship was designated for an individual currently or formerly in the foster care system, which the Lovett Scholarship Program felt would be ideal to honor Judge Lovett’s child welfare and juvenile justice work prior to and as a Presiding Judge with the Fulton County Juvenile Court.
Chasidy Denise Moore is a 2020 graduate of Valdosta High School in Valdosta, Georgia. In the top 5% of her Senior Class, Ms. Moore will major in healthcare administration and pre-law. After law school, she desires to start her career in healthcare law (with a non-profit focus) and eventually become a judge.
In addition to top academic performance, Ms. Moore works at Chick-Fil-A and balanced her tight schedule interviewing for the Lovett Scholarship thirty minutes after finalizing a six-hour shift at Chick-Fil-A. She is active in many community engagement activities, including volunteering to bake cookies and make placemats for the prisoners through the Kairos Prison Ministry and coordinating a block party for the women and children in the Volunteers of America: Pines Family Campus. On a national level, Ms. Moore was a 2018 participant of the Disney Dreamers Academy, and is on the Board of Directors of the National Dreamers Association, a non-profit that aspires to motivate high school students pursue and achieve their dreams. Also, in 2018 she placed in the Miss Georgia Teen Pageant (Queen’s Court of National American Miss), and was invited to compete in the National American Miss (National Pageant) in Los Angeles, California. Ms. Moore described the opportunity as valuable because the organization focuses on awarding girls for recognizing the true beauty that shines from within themselves and others.
When Kira Law, a member of the Lovett Scholarship Review and Selection Committee and employee of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), Ms. Moore excitedly stated to Ms. Law:
I feel absolutely grateful and overjoyed to be the Judge Willie J. Lovett Jr. Scholarship recipient this year. This scholarship has forced me to face experiences in my past that have haunted and given me the opportunity to make peace with those experiences. I only hope to live and leave a legacy like Judge Lovett and to inspire others like me.
Blessings and shared experiences can come through the legacy one leaves. Ms. Moore is under the legal custody of her grandmother who has made a huge contribution and impact on her life and success. Judge Lovett’s paternal grandmother also played a tremendous impact in his life including primarily living with Mrs. Effie Lovett in his early years.
The Lovett Scholarship Program and Impact Church congratulate Ms. Moore on being named the recipient of the Lovett Scholarship. We look forward to working with Ms. Moore!
About the Lovett Scholarship Program: The late Judge Willie J. Lovett, Jr. (a Presiding Judge of the Fulton County Juvenile Court from 2013 until January 30, 2017) was passionate about education and championing the well-being of children and youth. His untimely death left a huge void and his family, friends and church searching for ways to carry forward his passion. Attorney Seletha Butler, his widow, recalls her personal memories, “Willie was an accomplished man with many passions. At the top of his list were his family, Impact Church, support of youth programs and his commitment to impressing upon children and youth the value of education. A scholarship program involving those elements is a natural fit to carry forth the legacy of his life and work.”
The vision of the Lovett Scholarship Program is twofold. One goal is to provide scholarship funds for a deserving candidate toward his or her higher education costs (an award of $3,000 per academic year for up to four years of undergraduate course work at a four-year private or public U.S. accredited college or university). Equally important, the Lovett Scholarship Program looks to tackle some of the supply side issues for higher education—pipeline and readiness—by educating young people about access to higher education and impressing upon them the value of and ability to obtain a quality higher education. Butler further mentions that “Willie relished his role as a mentor to young people. In collaboration with partners, the Lovett Scholarship Program aims to continue his mission by providing educational and training programs to help reduce educational inequality in children and youth.”
For more information about the Lovett Scholarship, please email lovettscholarshipprogram@gmail.com and seletha96@bellsouth.net.
