Highland Springs HS senior named Ron Brown Scholar

Kishanti Barmoh, a senior at Highland Springs High School, has been named one of 50 Ron Brown Scholars.

The scholar program is a national scholarship for Black students. Barmoh, who will attend the University of Virginia this fall, will receive mentoring, career counseling and $40,000 to use during her four years in college. She is the founder of the Youth Black Achievers organization at Highland Springs and the former leader of community engagement for Henrico Justice, a student-run social media organization focused on social justice in the county.

The 50 scholarships winners were selected from an applicant pool of more than 4,000.

Barmoh recently graduated summa cum laude with an associate degree in business administration from J Sargeant Reynolds Community College through Highland Springs High’s Advanced College Academy and will intends to study psychology and anthropology at UVA, with an aim of becoming an educational psychologist.

Barmoh currently serves as student government president at HSHS, is captain and goalie for the Springers' girls' soccer team and wrestles for the school's co-ed wrestling team. She also is vice president of the school’s National Honor Society chapter and is a member of the National Spanish Honor Society, National History Honor Society, National English Honor Society, Model UN, National Beta Club, and National Science Honor Society.

She also has volunteered at the Richmond Autism Integration Network as a camp counselor for autistic children.

The Young Black Achievers, which Barmoh founded in 2020, has organized community service opportunities such as school clean-ups and tutoring efforts and also has led Henrico County’s Soulful Sunday and the Highland Springs High School Black Lives Matter panel.

The Ron Brown Scholar program was founded in 1996 by Anthony Pilaro and named in memory of the first Black secretary of commerce. The program aims to advance higher education and improve the lives of service-minded and intellectually gifted Black students and to accelerate their progress into impactful leadership roles and opportunities.

Each of the 50 new Scholars and an additional 300 semifinalists will join the Ron Brown – Ruth and Norman Rales Leaders Network, an initiative focused on career development, mentorship and matching talent with opportunity.

“I am continually impressed by the thousands of students who apply to become Ron Brown Scholars,” said Michael Mallory, president and CEO of the Ron Brown Scholar Program. “This year’s group of Scholars is one of the strongest classes ever in terms of activism, and more than half are scheduled to graduate in the top one or two percent of their class.  These hard-working young people all bring unique backgrounds and personal experiences to the Program, but all share extraordinary achievements in academics and a profound commitment to using their education to benefit their communities and society as a whole.”

To date, 634 students have received scholarships through the program, and 99% have graduated from college. Eighty-two percent of recipients have donated financially back to the program, to the tune of more than $1 million overall.