Cranston Student Wins 4-Year Scholarship Named For Roger Williams

CRANSTON, RI — A Cranston high school senior is headed off to college with a four-year, renewable scholarship from the Rhode Island Foundation. Jayson Rodriguez is one of five students to win the scholarship, which honors founding father Roger Williams.

"All of these students discovered inspiration in Roger Williams and in turn has an inspiring story of their own to share," Said Neil Steinberg, the president of the Rhode Island Foundation. "It is only due to the commitment of the Carter family that we can offer students and their parents this opportunity to think big about their future."

The scholarships were provided by the Carter Roger Williams Initiative, which was launched by Letitia and the late John Carter. Recipients were chosen based on academic achievement, financial need, record of community service and appreciation for the founding father's values. The scholarships are renewable for four years, up to $320,000. More than 70 students across Rhode Island applied.

Rodgriguez attends the Metropolitan Regional Career and Technical Center. They are involved in college visions, serve as the co-director of the leadership team of the Providence Student Union and are the founder and editor-in-chief of the youth literary magazine Violet Magic Zine.

Along with the Roger Williams scholarship, Rodriguez received a Scholastics Art and Writing Award and the Secretary of State's Civil Leadership Award. They were also a finalist for a National Youngarts Foundation photography award and a Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery Teen Portrait award.

"Through his dedication, he inspired many to think outside of the realm of the status quo," Rodriguez said. "This is exactly what I aspire to: to stand strong in my beliefs, regardless of how radical others may perceive them to be. Roger Williams proved that no idea is too radical and no future is too unthinkable. That asking questions and being critical of our surroundings is essential to human development, and that when we critique, we uncover the truths and ideas that lead us towards a more equitable society."

Rodriguez plans to attend New York Univeristy and study photography, Africana studies and literature. They plan to become a college professor or civil rights attorney, focusing on the study of equity and justice in Black, Brown and Indigenous communities.

The four other recipients of the 2021 Carter Roger Williams Scholarships are Ita Encarnacion of Providence, Joseph Grajales of Providence, Haylee Mota of East Providence and Michael Salzillo of Providence.