The City of Dayton and the University of Dayton have announced the recipient of the 2017 W.S. McIntosh Memorial Leadership Award.
Maya Smith-Custer, a graduating senior at Stivers School for the Arts, is the 30th recipient of the award, which annually supports the education and professional development of a young African-American student.
The award includes a full scholarship to the University of Dayton and a four-year paid internship with the City of Dayton. Recipients must be committed to the ideals of social justice and demonstrate potential for community leadership.
Custer-Smith’s City of Dayton internship will begin this summer, and she plans to major in International Studies at the University of Dayton. She is a varsity athlete (golf team captain) and an award-winning creative writer, in addition to being a member of the National Honor Society and a past recipient of the Exceptional Young Citizen Award, presented by Congresswoman Joyce Beatty.
“We are very happy to soon welcome Maya to the City of Dayton,” said Director of Finance LaShea Lofton, a member of the McIntosh Award selection committee and a former McIntosh Award recipient. “We are confident she will continue the program’s tradition of excellence.”
The McIntosh award honors W.S. McIntosh, a 1960s civil rights leader who led one of the first major local civil rights protests, organized community groups and was executive director of the Dayton chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality. He was shot and killed while trying to prevent a robbery in March of 1974.