SALISBURY — The Eastern Shore Literacy Association (ESLA) is proud to announce two recipients to the annual Barbara S. Davis Scholarship. This year’s scholarship recipients are Caitlyn Grager and Magnolia Harris-Blackburn.

The annual scholarship honors Davis, who served as president and membership of ESLA and is a retired teacher from Wicomico County Public Schools.

“ESLA is blessed to continue the legacy of Barbara Davis, who is fondly remembered for her passion towards sparking the love of reading to all of her students and those in the local communities of the Eastern Shore,” ESLA Scholarship Chair Dr. Andrea Vandiver explained as the scholarship supports graduating seniors who intend on majoring in the field of education. “Many of our scholarship winners are current teachers on the Lower Shore giving back to their communities as Barbara Davis would have wanted.”

Grager, a graduate of Mardela Middle and High, intends on attending St. Mary’s College of Maryland and pursue a degree in English education. A remarkable student, Grager was active in her community volunteering in the Connections Program at the MAC Inc Senior Center accumulating over 300 hours as well as various United Way and school-based events. At Mardela Middle and High, she served her class as senior class president and National Honor Society President.

Harris-Blackburn, a graduate of Snow Hill High, intends on attending the University of Maryland College Park to double major in Fine Arts and Secondary Education. An active student in the arts, Harris-Blackburn placed in the Ocean City and Berlin Optimist Club’s annual high school art competition, won the Worcester County Public Schools’ Holiday Card Contest, and was a regular participant in her district’s fine arts festival. At Snow Hill High, she was captain of the Eagles’ soccer and basketball teams.

“We are very proud of these talented young ladies,” C. Grattan Baldwin, president of ESLA, explained. “Both recipients will receive $1,000 that can be used to help them toward tuition or books as they move onto the next steps in their education. It’s our hope they will be sparked by the love of learning and eventually make their way back to us and teach on the Eastern Shore.”