MMHMF Scholarship Recipient

JONATHAN EUGENE COLEMAN
2019 MMHMF Scholarship Recipient

East Carolina University
Business Management

Jonathan is the son of Traci and Jonathan Coleman. He is majoring in business management at East Carolina University. Jonathan graduated from Matoaca High School in June where he was President of the Student Government Association; captain of the varsity football team; and a leadership mentor in Brother in Me.

He was an usher in his church and a member of CARITAS which is an international Catholic organization focused on providing help to the poor, the vulnerable and excluded individuals. He was an Ott Trott (5k race) volunteer and he volunteered at a food bank.

In his essay, Jonathan said that social media is the greatest challenge for this generation. Social media offers many positive benefits such as social connections and opportunities to learn and earn money. The downsides he indicated were: "bullying, people not knowing how to communicate and lacking social skills." He expressed the need for people to find balance in an ever-changing world.

Update: January 2024

THE 25TH ANNUAL AWARDS PROGRAM SPEAKER Jonathan E. Coleman II

Jonathan is a graduate of Matoaca High School where he was a "stand out" student and person. He continues to excel! Currently he is pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the ECU Arthur School and is employed as a teller at Towne Bank, Greenville, NC.

Jonathan graduated from ECU in three and a half years. This is noteworthy because in addition to carrying a full load and achieving an overall 3.5 GPA, Jonathan: 1). has been employed since his freshman year; 2). was a Division I football player (four-time All-Academic Team and Vice President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee 2019-23); 3). was a top 10 finalist for Captain of the Ship-Homecoming (2022); 4). served on the Chancellor's Student Advisory Board (2021); 5). was an ECU Representative for UNC System Strategic Planning Committee (2021-23); 6). joined the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc at ECU (manages chapter budget and funds, organizes and facilitates chapter meetings, Spring 2022 – Present); 7). And is a member of the Inaugural Copeland Diversity & Inclusion Fellow Class (2021-Present). Jonathan earned the following scholarships during his undergraduate years: Danny R. Scott Scholarship; Stan and Laurie Eakins Scholarship; Comcast Future Business Leaders scholarship.

Jonathan is God-fearing. He believes strongly in his faith, his family and his friendships. He is an active member of First Baptist Church of South Richmond and away from home is an active member of Koinonia Christian Center, Greenville, NC. On his LINKEDIN page Jonathan writes: "Creativity drives me each and every morning". The following sub-caption appears under his name: "Believer in Christ, Visionary, Entrepreneur, Environmentalist, Athlete and East Carolina University Immersive MBA Student."

As a Copeland Fellow, Jonathan developed a project called "Brother In Me." He has mentored several students in a middle school in Greenville since August 2023. MMHMF is extremely proud of Jonathan! We commend his parents, Mr. & Mrs. Jonathan (Traci) Coleman Sr. for a job well done in raising Jonathan, such an amazing young man. They also have three other terrific young people: Jessica, a graduate of Hampton University and works for ESPN in NYC; Jacob, a junior football player majoring in criminal justice at East Tennessee University; and Jada who is a freshman majoring in environmental science at Hampton. We are pleased to acknowledge and celebrate this wonderful family!

In his remarks during his awards program, Jonathan said to the three scholarship recipients "never give up!. Just keep trying!"