Third Cohort Of Yale-Funded James W.C. Pennington Fellows Named

NEW HAVEN, CT — The third cohort of James W.C. Pennington Fellows has been selected and will be moving to the campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities this fall.

The announcement was made Tuesday at New Haven City Hall.

The Pennington Fellowship was launched in 2022 and is funded by Yale University.

Charles Warner, a member of the Yale Slavery Working Group, whose 2022 findings led to the founding of the Pennington Fellowship, has also served on the Fellowship’s selection committee.

"As a proud Morehouse Man, it means a great deal to witness young people from New Haven begin and succeed on their HBCU journeys with such strong community support," Warner said.

Pennington Fellows receive $20,000 annually ($80,000 in total over four years) to support their education at one of six partner HBCUs: Hampton University, Howard University, Morehouse College, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, and Spelman College.

The 2025 cohort includes matriculants at four different universities.

Three will attend Howard University in Washington, D.C. They are: Aniya Avery of Hill Regional Career High, Makayla Martin of Highville Charter School, and Jayona Salmond of James Hillhouse High School.

Two will be enrolling at Hampton University in the Tidewater region of Virginia. They are: Trinity Mooring and Xavier Smith, both of Cooperative Arts & Humanities High.

Two more will enroll at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro this fall. They are: Dyani Dolberry of Wilbur Cross High School and Sau’mora Short of High School in the Community.

The final two Pennington Fellows will be attending Morgan State University in Baltimore. They are: Lashae Fairweather of New Haven Academy and Ashanti Troutman of High School in the Community.

"This unique opportunity has been met with great success,” President of New Haven Promise Patricia Melton said. "To date, recipients have maintained strong GPAs and all are persisting in their studies. The financial support makes an HBCU experience more affordable, reducing college debt and loan burden for the Fellows and their parents."