College of Engineering Students Honored with the 2025 Black History in the Making Award
From left: Jade Rasberry, Kenzie Osei and Ashlyn Jones
By Jena Salem
College of Engineering students Ashlyn Jones, Jade Rasberry and Kezie Osei received this year’s Black History in the Making Award.
Founded in 1983 by academic scholar professor Daryl Dance, Ph.D., the Black History in the Making Awards acknowledge the accomplishments of African American students. Each department, program and unit comes together to manage the internal nomination and selection process. Recipients of the awards are picked based on academic excellence, involvement in the local community and university and significant experiences in their careers.
Ashlyn Jones is a master’s student in biomedical engineering. She is an active member of the community and many student organizations, such as VCU’s Women’s Club Basketball team, Tau Beta Pi (Engineering Honor Society), National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and the Society for Women in Engineering. Jones has also completed an internship experience as a rehabilitation engineer at the Central Virginia VA Health Care System.
Jade Rasberry is an undergraduate biomedical engineering student. She was elected as the Technical Outreach Chairperson (TORCH) for the NSBE in her sophomore year and has initiated outreach events, including hands-on activities at the Richmond Technical Center and a virtual collaboration with the Mt. Zion NSBE Jr. chapter in Jamaica. Rasberry was appointed as Membership Chair her junior year. She is tasked with recruiting and retaining members, volunteering with NSBE’s Pre-College Initiative, and planning Various major events for the College of Engineering.
Kezie Osei is a first-generation undergraduate computer science and informatics student. She serves as the Programs Chair of the National Society of Black Engineers, Co-President of the Computer Science Student Advisory Board and Vice President of TechConnect. Osei also helps volunteer with the Nyansapo Institute in supporting educational initiatives in Ghana to further her dedication to STEM outreach. After graduation, Osei plans to pursue a Ph.D. in computer science with a focus on computational drug discovery and artificial intelligence.
The VCU College of Engineering offers innovative undergraduate and graduate degree programs tailored to meet the demands of the rapidly evolving engineering field. As part of a premier research university, students are given the opportunity to perform real-world research in our state-of-the-art facilities as soon as they enroll. Browse videos and recent news to discover how the College of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University prepares the next generation of scientists and engineers for the challenges of the future.
Categories Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science, Student Stories, Undergraduate Student Stories