Project Elijah founder approaches new phase in life
March 05, 2012 3:19 PM
One Yuma student has been striving to make a difference in
other people's lives since he was a boy — an effort that hasn't changed,
even though he's a senior in high school this year.
Gila Ridge High School student Elijah Humphrey, 16, started a recycling program called Project Elijah in 2007 to raise funds for a local student who wanted to attend a summer enrichment course at California State University but couldn't afford to go.
Humphrey said that even though he was only 11 at the time and had limited resources, he didn't let that stop him.
“I collected money from family, friends and neighbors but I also collected cans. I turned the cans in for money and was able to help the student out.”
Now, five years later and nearing the end of his senior year, Humphrey has interviewed for a number of prestigious Ivy League schools and has already received over $20,000 in scholarships.
Humphrey said it has been his lifelong dream to attend an Ivy League school and that he has interviewed at schools like Princeton, Brown and Dartmouth. He is waiting for acceptance letters from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Notre Dame and Columbia, to name a few.
“I received a Quest Bridge Scholarship late last year that paid the application fee as well as waived the regular application process to over 31 of the top college and universities in the country. This scholarship was well worth over $3,500 and saved me a huge deal of time with the admission process.”
He has also received the Kohl's Cares Scholarship and a $10,000 Coca-Cola scholarship with the chance to interview for another $20,000 next month in Atlanta.
“My family and I were thrilled to hear about all the scholarships and all the attention that I am starting to receive. We are truly blessed and honored and give all glory to God. He is the center of our lives and without him, none of this would be possible.”
In addition to being president of the Project Elijah initiative, Humphrey is involved in the National Honor Society, Junior Statesmen of America and National Society of High School Scholars. He was part of the National Youth Leadership Forum and the Global Young Leaders Conference as well as the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) Scholars Program, which he has been in since seventh grade.
“His most impressive quality is not his mind, but it is his heart,” said Sam Godfrey, communications coordinator for Johns Hopkins CTY Scholars. “Elijah has balanced his academics with countless volunteer activities.”
Humphrey also recently started a scholarship at Arizona Western College called the Steve Baxter Memorial Scholarship to help African-American students pursuing a law degree.
He will be giving $700 a year from Project Elijah funds, and a local attorney plans to give $1,000 in memory of Steven Baxter, a former AWC student who led many campus and community initiatives. Humphrey said that unfortunately, before Baxter could complete his degree, he collapsed on campus at the age of 20 and died from a pulmonary embolus.
“The student body president (at AWC) was looking through the schools newspaper archives and ran into Steven Baxter's story... She felt our lives paralleled. I did also.
“That is when I decided that we should start a Steven Baxter Memorial Scholarship from the recycling money that was generated on AWC's campus. I did not know Steven or his family but I feel a deep connection with them,” Humphrey said, noting that he and Baxter had a similar passion for law.
Past proceeds from the Project Elijah recycling project have also been donated to organizations like Paralyzed Veterans of America, The Breast Cancer Society, the Humane Society of Yuma, two local church youth groups and music programs at local schools.
Humphrey also volunteers 15 hours a week at the Sunrise Elementary School Discovery Club tutoring students in grades K-5 and spends 10 hours a week coaching their Odyssey of the Mind team.
Sarah Womer can be reached at swomer@yumasun.com or 539-6858. Find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/YSSarahWomer or on Twitter at @YSSarahWomer.
Gila Ridge High School student Elijah Humphrey, 16, started a recycling program called Project Elijah in 2007 to raise funds for a local student who wanted to attend a summer enrichment course at California State University but couldn't afford to go.
Humphrey said that even though he was only 11 at the time and had limited resources, he didn't let that stop him.
“I collected money from family, friends and neighbors but I also collected cans. I turned the cans in for money and was able to help the student out.”
Now, five years later and nearing the end of his senior year, Humphrey has interviewed for a number of prestigious Ivy League schools and has already received over $20,000 in scholarships.
Humphrey said it has been his lifelong dream to attend an Ivy League school and that he has interviewed at schools like Princeton, Brown and Dartmouth. He is waiting for acceptance letters from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Notre Dame and Columbia, to name a few.
 |
| Elijah Humphrey (far left) |
“I received a Quest Bridge Scholarship late last year that paid the application fee as well as waived the regular application process to over 31 of the top college and universities in the country. This scholarship was well worth over $3,500 and saved me a huge deal of time with the admission process.”
He has also received the Kohl's Cares Scholarship and a $10,000 Coca-Cola scholarship with the chance to interview for another $20,000 next month in Atlanta.
“My family and I were thrilled to hear about all the scholarships and all the attention that I am starting to receive. We are truly blessed and honored and give all glory to God. He is the center of our lives and without him, none of this would be possible.”
In addition to being president of the Project Elijah initiative, Humphrey is involved in the National Honor Society, Junior Statesmen of America and National Society of High School Scholars. He was part of the National Youth Leadership Forum and the Global Young Leaders Conference as well as the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth (CTY) Scholars Program, which he has been in since seventh grade.
“His most impressive quality is not his mind, but it is his heart,” said Sam Godfrey, communications coordinator for Johns Hopkins CTY Scholars. “Elijah has balanced his academics with countless volunteer activities.”
Humphrey also recently started a scholarship at Arizona Western College called the Steve Baxter Memorial Scholarship to help African-American students pursuing a law degree.
He will be giving $700 a year from Project Elijah funds, and a local attorney plans to give $1,000 in memory of Steven Baxter, a former AWC student who led many campus and community initiatives. Humphrey said that unfortunately, before Baxter could complete his degree, he collapsed on campus at the age of 20 and died from a pulmonary embolus.
“The student body president (at AWC) was looking through the schools newspaper archives and ran into Steven Baxter's story... She felt our lives paralleled. I did also.
“That is when I decided that we should start a Steven Baxter Memorial Scholarship from the recycling money that was generated on AWC's campus. I did not know Steven or his family but I feel a deep connection with them,” Humphrey said, noting that he and Baxter had a similar passion for law.
Past proceeds from the Project Elijah recycling project have also been donated to organizations like Paralyzed Veterans of America, The Breast Cancer Society, the Humane Society of Yuma, two local church youth groups and music programs at local schools.
Humphrey also volunteers 15 hours a week at the Sunrise Elementary School Discovery Club tutoring students in grades K-5 and spends 10 hours a week coaching their Odyssey of the Mind team.
Sarah Womer can be reached at swomer@yumasun.com or 539-6858. Find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/YSSarahWomer or on Twitter at @YSSarahWomer.
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