2021 Scholarship Essay Contest Winner Announcement

The team at Finz & Finz, P.C. is pleased to congratulate our 2021 Devante Lane Scholarship Winner Jakai White.

White’s essay is particularly in line with the mission of the Devante Lane Scholarship, as he writes about his desire to provide a gun-free community for younger generations to come. White describes his experiences growing up around gun violence and his hopes to prevent young people from going down the wrong path. He also provides solutions to how he would uplift those in his community and provide them with resources to help them be successful.

White explains that as a young Black man growing up in Brooklyn, he saw many lose focus on the important aspects of their lives, such as education, passions, and family, to participate in gangs and go down a violent road. He expresses his desire to prevent others from making these same mistakes and help them to become thriving members of their communities. He states, “When I graduate from college in four years, I will use my college experience and the tools I learned to teach the youth to stay focused and to chase their dreams no matter how hard life gets.”

White shows that he will be a valuable member of our community, as he describes how he would create safe spaces for young people to learn how to be successful and persevere through difficult times. White also wishes to provide support by opening community centers to uplift those around him financially, emotionally, and physically. He hopes that he can encourage others to obtain an education and continue the fight to end gun violence by providing these resources. White is an excellent example of using our education and skills to bring safety and love back into our communities.

About The Devante Lane Scholarship

The Devante Lane Scholarship was created in memory of Devante Lane, a victim of gun violence in New Rochelle. Devante was a promising college graduate from the Bronx who brought life and joy to all he encountered. He was an intelligent and kind individual whose creativity made him stand out in his art, style, and fashion. Devante was particularly valued at Finz & Finz, P.C., as his loving father, Jerome Lane, has been an employee here for nearly 30 years, making him and Devante family to our firm.

The goal of founding the scholarship is not only to honor Lane but to help fight against gun violence, which needlessly took Lane’s life too soon. The scholarship looks for essays from students who wish to provide meaningful solutions to curb violence in New York. It also asks them to explain how they will use their college education to give back to the Bronx and help others succeed.

Although we received many insightful and well-written essays, the Devante Lane Scholarship is awarded to the student who provides the most persuasive and significant solution to bettering our community and the lives of our young people. Finz & Finz, P.C. hopes that by providing students with financial assistance to achieve their goals and complete a college education, we can help improve the lives of all those in New York and provide a brighter future for all.