KProm@WMU

Providing direct support to current and incoming WMU students who are recipients of the Kalamazoo Promise Scholarship

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Born: May 25, 1803 (Boston, Massachusetts)
- Died: April 27, 1882 (Concord, Massachusetts)
- Philosopher, poet, and abolitionist of the mid-19th century
- Learn more: https://t.co/vALtVVOsr5

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

Congratulations Spring 2022 Graduates, and a special shoutout to our newest Kalamazoo Promise alumni! Don’t forget to tag us as you celebrate all your hard work this weekend!

Instagram/Facebook/Twitter - @wmukprom

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Vera Wang
- Born: June 27, 1949 (New York, New York)
- Former figure skater and world-renowned fashion designer
- Learn more: https://t.co/zlmm12OVHV

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Ketanji Brown Jackson
- Born: September 14, 1970 (Washington, D.C.)
- Recently confirmed to the Supreme Court, she will be the first black woman and 116th person to serve as a justice
- Learn more: https://t.co/UEyhctiTOE

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Zoraida Córdova
- Born: June 26, 1987 (Guayaquil, Ecuador)
- Acclaimed author of more than two dozen novels and short stories
- Learn more: https://t.co/2E0zxiXTs7

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Michael Bakari Jordan
- Born: February 9, 1987 (Santa Ana, California)
- Recipient of twelve awards for appearances in various movie and television roles
- Learn More: https://t.co/j0dw0FQR5o

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Amanda S. C. Gorman
- Born: March 7, 1998 (Los Angeles, California)
- Poet and activist, she started writing to cope with a speech impediment
- The first National Youth Poet Laureate and youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history
- Learn more: https://t.co/iuXT7UuHj1

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Ava Marie Duvernay
- Born: August 24, 1972 (Long Beach, California)
- Director of films and series like Selma, A Wrinkle in Time,
- Became the first Black woman to receive a director’s prize at the Sundance Film Festival
- Learn More: https://t.co/UUU7PtcXpN

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Katherine Johnson
- Born August 26, 1918 (White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia)
- Died: February 24, 2020, Newport News, VA
- Mathematician whose calculations as a NASA employee was critical to the success of the first U.S. spaceflights
- Learn more: https://t.co/mIDUifevcl

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Frida Kahlo (born Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón)
- Born: July 6, 1907, (Coyoacán, Mexico City, Mexico)
- Died: July 13, 1954
- Acclaimed Mexican painter, known for displaying indigenous cultures of Mexico in a surrealist style
- Learn more: https://t.co/T9ow7vlJCH

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

Naomi Osaka
- Born: October 16, 1997 (Chuo Ward, Osaka, Japan)
- Professional tennis player and four-time Grand Slam singles champion
- Also, a leader in conversation regarding social justice and mental health
- Learn more: https://t.co/q4abmQnNfb

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Toni Morrison (Born Chloe Anthony Wofford)
- Born: on February 18, 1931 (Lorain, Ohio)
- Died: August 5, 2019
- Prolific author and novelist, wrote 11 novels and a host of other literary works
- First Black woman to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature
- https://t.co/LxriNvroPL

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.)
- Born: March 1, 1927 (Manhattan, New York)
- Belafonte is an actor, singer, and activist. Belafonte has won three Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award and a Tony Award.
- https://t.co/uLmsBGCpM8

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Jesse Owens (James Cleveland Owens)
- Born: September 12, 1913 (Oakville, Alabama)
- Died: March 31, 1980
- Professional track and field athlete, held the long jump record for 25 years
- Won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin
- https://t.co/EnqDqskF5U

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Pres. Barack Hussein Obama
- Born: August 4, 1961 (Honolulu, Hawaii)
- Lawyer, former U.S. Senator, and former President
- The first black and multiracial candidate to ever hold the office of President
- https://t.co/UUu1mmL6uE

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Duke Ellington (Born Edward Kennedy Ellington)
- Born: April 29, 1899 (Washington, D.C.)
- Died: May 24, 1974
- Renowned composer and pianist
- In a career spanning 50+ years, Duke composed over 3,000 songs in his lifetime and won a host of awards
- https://t.co/T9xfFtDjvC

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Toni Morrison (Born Chloe Anthony Wofford)
- Born: on February 18, 1931 (Lorain, Ohio)
- Died: August 5, 2019
- Prolific author and novelist, wrote 11 novels and a host of other literary works
- First Black woman to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature
- https://t.co/pvfFuyTodT

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Sojourner Truth (Born Isabella Baumfree)
- Born: 1797 (Ulster County, New York)
- Died: November 26, 1883
- American abolitionist and women’s suffragist
- Renowned orator, delivered her famed speech “Ain’t I a Woman” in 1851
- Learn More: https://t.co/K1IxfddvH3

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Shirley Anita St. Hill Chisholm
- Born: November 30, 1924 (Brooklyn, New York)
- Died: January 1, 2005
- Champion of racial and gender equality; first black woman elected to the United States Congress
- Learn More: https://t.co/1tTteEJClf

[KProm@WMU @wmukprom]

- Langston Hughes (Born James Mercer Langston Hughes)
- Born February 1, 1902 (Joplin, Missouri)
- Died May 22, 1967
- American poet, playwright, and prominent figure of The Harlem Renaissance - Learn More: https://t.co/9ffapfYw3h