Kumwimba Augustine Twite ’25 and Jasmine Marshall ’23 have been selected as the 2022 Ernie Thorne ’34 Scholars, an award honoring the legacy of the first Black graduate of Saint Anselm College.
This is Twite’s first semester on campus, after transferring to Saint Anselm from NHTI at the beginning of the fall semester. A criminal justice major, Twite has quickly made himself at home on the Hilltop. He is a member of the men’s football team, the Men of Color group, and still volunteers as a mentor and drum teacher in his hometown of Concord, N.H. After graduation, Twite hopes to become an investigator.
This is the second year that Jasmine Marshall received the scholarship. Marshall is a senior politics major and works as a research assistant in the department. “I have loved being able to offer a unique perspective on campus and challenge different views,” explained Marshall. She is preparing to take the LSAT exam and plans to attend law school to follow in the footsteps of her great uncle, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.
“The past couple of years this scholarship has been a major financial help and has allowed me to stress less about paying for school,” said Marshall. “I am extremely honored and grateful to have received this scholarship.”
The idea for the scholarship came from Denis Lynch ’81 and Keith Woolley ’82 in response to the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
Ernie Louis Thorne graduated from Saint Anselm College in 1934, becoming the first Black Anselmian alumnus. While on campus, Thorne was a member of Delta Sigma Mu, serving as the secretary and vice president, and worked as a reporter and contributing editor for “The Tower” newspaper. After graduation, Thorne continued to live and work in Manchester for the rest of his life where he was a well-known member of the community.
Thorne regularly attended alumni and sporting events at the College and served as the vice chairman of the Order of Golden Anselmians. Thorne passed away in 1995 at the age of 85, and his class ring is held in Saint Anselm’s archives.
You can support the Ernie Thorne ’34 Scholarship for Racial Equality during the upcoming Giving Tuesday campaign. Learn more and make a gift