Kia Brooks Receives 2012 Robert A. Davis Scholarship

Was there ever a time you thought you weren’t good enough? That’s what Kia Brooks thought when she applied for the 2012 Robert A. Davis Scholarship.

“Sometimes people don’t apply for scholarships because they don’t think they are good enough, but you never know,” said Brooks, a native of Chili, New York, who graduated from SUNY Brockport with a B.A. in communications.

Brooks wanted to attend Buffalo State after hearing good things about the master’s program in higher education and student affairs administration. She decided to apply for the scholarship after paying tuition for two semesters out of her own pocket. “There was a financial strain for me commuting from Rochester and paying my tuition,” Brooks said. “I didn’t think I would be the scholarship recipient, but there was still a chance.”

Besides meeting the eligibility requirements, Brooks had to write an essay explaining why she should receive the scholarship, and what she would do with the money she would receive. “I wrote about my desire to continue my education, and my family’s influence on me to pursue higher education,” Brooks said.

She also wrote about the similarities she found between herself and Davis.“We both were from military families and one of eight children,” Brooks said.“He was drafted to serve his country and my dad served. Davis died in battle and made a great sacrifice; I try to make small sacrifices daily for my family and church in Rochester.”

Brooks was elated when she found out she was selected to be the 2012 recipient. “I was in shock, but I was appreciative and wanted to tell everybody,” she said.

The scholarship must be used towards tuition, housing, and a conference of the recipient’s choice. “I am going to the ACPA conference, a higher education conference, in Las Vegas in March,” Brooks said.

“This conference will motivate, inspire, and teach me how to succeed in higher education, which will help me help the students I will serve,” she explained. “Networking, seeing scholarly research presented, and meeting people who could perhaps mentor me…those are priceless experiences.”

Brooks hopes to graduate from Buffalo State in May, and attend St. John Fischer College in Rochester for a doctorate in executive leadership. “I am trying to learn as much as I can about the field of higher education as I can be as marketable and as effective in my job as possible,” she said. “Wherever the path leads me, I’m going to go.”