The 2022 recipient of the Annie Ibok Scholarship is Ms. RaKaya Johnson from Kent, WA!

RaKaya is a Freshman Business Intelligence & Data Analytics major attending Norfolk State University this Fall. As a high school student, she led the charge in reestablishing her high school’s Black Student Union, leading the organization as president during the ‘21-’22 academic year. RaKaya also participated in Running Start, a program that enables students to take tuition-free collegiate-level courses while in high school. Through this program, she graduated from high school and earned an Associate’s degree this past June, all while maintaining a 3.6 GPA. The determination required to earn both a high school diploma and an Associate’s degree before starting university is highly recognized, as the academic rigor of the courses taken was difficult. 

In addition to her academics, Rakaya founded a vegan self-care business called Natural Queendom, LLC, producing cruelty-free products such as candles, soaps, and scrubs. As the founder, she has touched all parts of the business, handling production, advertising, logistics, and ingredient R&D. You may find more information about her business on Instagram at @thenaturalqueendom. 

Rakaya believes the Annie Ibok Scholarship will enable her to further her education and achieve her personal goal of becoming a Data Scientist. She hopes this career path will allow her to help (Black) small business owners expand their businesses and create generational wealth in their communities.