FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Aug. 25, 2026
5 Rising Star Scholars Begin Their Higher Education Journey
Housing Authority of Baltimore City’s Resident Services recognizes recent recipients as scholarship program marks 17th year
BALTIMORE – As colleges and universities prepare to welcome students for the fall semester, five students recently received financial support to help advance their educational goals through the Housing Authority of Baltimore City’s (HABC) Resident Services Inc. Rising Stars Scholarship Program. Each student received a $5,000 scholarship.
HABC’s Resident Services awarded $25,000 in total scholarships to the following recipients:
|
Name |
High School |
Attending College/University |
|
Shanerah Wallace |
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute |
North Carolina A&T |
|
De’Aisha Gladden |
Benjamin Franklin High School |
Morgan State University |
|
Janiya Lee |
City College |
Bowie State University |
|
Alana Weeks |
Bard High School |
Towson University |
|
Simone Hatchett |
Bard High School |
University of Maryland |
“Providing our city’s youth with financial support can give them access to the educational resources they need to pursue their professional goals,” said Tracey Oliver Keyser, Senior Vice President of RSI. “This is just one of the ways HABC helps those within our communities build toward self-sufficiency and brighter futures.”
“I feel very blessed to receive this scholarship. With the scholarship, it decreases the money I owe for the fall semester,” said Lee, who is majoring in psychology and aspires to become a child adolescent psychologist. “Now, I can go into undergraduate and hopefully graduate school and won’t have to pay any money out of pocket.”
The Rising Star Scholarship program is a partnership between Resident Services Incorporated (RSI), the Resident Advisory Board and HABC that provides need and merit-based scholarships to students who have been accepted into accredited institutions of higher learning or trade schools. Launched in 2009, the Rising Star Scholarship provides recipients with $5,000 each to assist young people in reaching their academic goals.
“These scholarships are more than an award. It is an investment in these youth’s potential,” said Janet Abrahams, President and CEO of HABC. “We believe in what they can achieve, and we are proud to support them as they take this next step toward their future.”
To be eligible for the scholarship, youth must be a current resident of the HABC Public Housing, Rehabilitative Housing or Housing Choice Voucher program, a graduating high school senior who has been accepted for admission or is awaiting acceptance to an accredited college or university.
Over the last seventeen years, over 85 young people have received scholarships to local and out-of-state schools. Many of them have graduated and moved forward into careers. Money for the scholarship program is raised through various events coordinated by Resident Services Inc. and private donations.
“We invite everyone who wants to invest in the future of our city’s youth to support Rising Stars through a donation,” said Keyser. “Even the smallest donation can make the biggest impact.”
Those who would like to donate to the program can do so at https://rsinc.org/rising-star-scholarship-program
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About the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC)
The Housing Authority of Baltimore City provides quality affordable housing and supportive services to more than 20,000 families across Baltimore. Through initiatives that promote education, employment, and economic empowerment, HABC is building stronger, self-sufficient communities and creating opportunities for residents to thrive. Habc.org
Resident Services Inc.
The corporation is the official not-for-profit subsidiary of the Housing Authority of Baltimore City (HABC), created and authorized to raise funds through grants, donations, contractual partnerships and other fundraising activities. The mission of RSI is to enhance the quality of life for public housing and other low-income residents in Baltimore City through the provision and coordination of self-sufficiency, empowerment, social service training and technical assistance programs and initiatives.
