A new scholarship named after HCJFS Director Moira Weir celebrates the work she has done with the Higher Education Mentoring Initiative (HEMI).

The Moira Weir Scholarship is a $5,000 scholarship awarded to an outstanding student enrolled in post-secondary education.

According to Rayma Waters, co-director of CECH PASS, the scholarship was named after Weir because of her commitment, leadership and vision for the HEMI program.

Weir said that having the scholarship named after her is a huge honor.

"I feel lucky to be in a profession that inspires me each day,” Weir said. “I also feel lucky to be surrounded by so many dedicated people wanting to make the lives of the children, youth and families in our community better. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to build a great program in Hamilton County. Without the dedication, support and collaboration from all of us this would not work.”

Weir presented the scholarship to this year’s recipient at the HEMI Celebration Dinner on Dec. 12. This years recipient was Markeema McMillan, a freshman at the University of Cincinnati.

The Moira Weir Scholarship will be handed out annually to an outstanding student. It will become a HEMI tradition and part of Weir’s legacy.

Check out the video from the HEMI Celebration Dinner here.

About HEMI:

For five years, HEMI has been pairing foster children with volunteer mentors. These mentors help the children gain educational opportunities beyond high school.

The program has helped 75 foster youth and 100% of them have graduated high school and moved on to higher education.

HEMI is a partnership between Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners, Hamilton County Job and Family Services, the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, and Great Oaks Institute of Technology and Career Development.