DeKalb County, GA — DeKalb County Schools student Isaiah Fleming was named the recipient of the Georgia United Foundation’s 2023 Vernon E. Carne Scholarship. The Arabia Mountain High School senior earned $5,000 toward his pursuit of higher education.

Fleming is a member of the National Honor Society and has been on the varsity golf team for four years. An officer in the National Society of Black Engineers, Fleming is also a member of the Georgia Technology Student Association, representing his school at state leadership conferences and competitions. He has been part of Google Code Next, a selective program where high schoolers are taught coding by Google engineers, for three years. He has been invited to represent Google Code Next at ATL Google Roundtables and Georgia Tech Professional Development Summits.

Fleming enjoys giving back to his community, and he has completed over 300 hours of volunteer service during high school. He especially enjoys working with the Ethiopian Community Association. He plans to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology or North Carolina A&T, and major in computer science.

A total of $25,000 in scholarships are awarded to six high school seniors chosen from a record number of 155 applicants, according to a press release. The scholarships go to students who are planning to attend college or a technical school during the 2023-2024 school year.

This year marks the 29th year of the scholarship program, named for Georgia United’s founder and notable board members. Over the course of the scholarship program, $363,000 has been distributed among 247 students.

The foundation’s scholarship program encourages higher education-bound students to display their creativity through a one-minute video submission explaining how they will use their continuing education to help their community. Additional consideration is given to academic achievement, financial need, demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities.

“We are thrilled to recognize these outstanding students for their hard work and achievements,” said Georgia United President and Chief Executive Officer Debbie Smith. “Georgia United Foundation makes it possible for us to continue our long-standing tradition of offering scholarships to high school seniors who are pursuing higher education. We wish this year’s scholars the best of luck and know they will make a difference in their communities.”

To view his winning video entry, click here.

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