Charlottesville, Va. – December 19, 2024 – Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) students Fatema Mohammad, Kimberly de la Cruz and Owen Brown, are the 2024 recipients of Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP Branch Tamyra K. Turner Memorial Scholarships. The recipients were recognized at a luncheon, December 12. Brown and Mohammad each received $1,000 awards and de la Cruz received a $1,500 award.

The scholarships are awarded annually to PVCC students enrolled in Liberal Arts or General Studies.

PVCC Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Development said, “We are honored to partner with members of the Albemarle Charlottesville NAACP Branch and the Turner family to help students at PVCC. This scholarship will ensure that students can fully pursue their educational and career goals without financial stress and will open doors to opportunities they might not have otherwise had.”

Mohammad is a first-year student who “grew up in a first-generation immigrant household.” She shared, “I quickly came to admire how people in social fields can help others in all walks of life. This, along with my active interest in the humanities, really inspired me to go into the field, which led me to Liberal Arts. This scholarship will help me a lot, as I will be able to focus primarily on my schoolwork without the financial burdens that come with college.”

Both Brown and de la Cruz also conveyed wanting to be able to help others the way the Turner family memorial scholarship has helped them and noted barriers that were removed due to the reward.

“We extend our deepest gratitude to the Albemarle Charlottesville Branch of the NAACP and members of the Turner family for honoring the legacy of a remarkable individual who deeply believed in the potential of her students. Her dedication and commitment to teaching and learning continues to inspire and impact the lives of PVCC students,” stated PVCC President Jean Runyon.

The scholarship namesake, Tamyra Kaye Turner, was a former professor of English Literature at PVCC and was heavily involved in her community. She was an active member of the Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP Branch, served on the Charlottesville School Board from 1993-1996, and was a board member of the Jefferson Madison Regional Library from 2012-16. Turner was an advisory board member of the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center in 2008, and a steering committee member for the Virginia Festival of the Book. She founded the City of Charlottesville’s Juneteenth Celebration in 2000.

To learn more about the Tamyra K. Turner Memorial Scholarship visit pvcc.edu/turner-memorial-scholarship.

About Piedmont Virginia Community College

Established in 1972, Piedmont Virginia Community College is a nonresidential two-year institution of higher education that serves Central Virginia – principally, residents of the City of Charlottesville and the counties of Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson. PVCC is committed to providing access to a college education for all who can benefit, an opportunity for each student to reach their potential, and excellence in all programs and services. Visit pvcc.edu.