Kenaz Worthem, of Oxford, is the 2022 recipient of the Pozen Scholarship at the University of Mississippi.
The award, established through the Robert C. Pozen Scholarship MBA Diversity Fund, provides full tuition for a student from Mississippi who is pursuing his or her Master of Business Administration.
“Last year, Mr. Pozen generously gave a gift to the School of Business to set up the Robert C. Pozen Scholarship Diversity Fund to build diversity in our MBA program and build leaders for the betterment of our community” said Ashley McGee, director of MBA programs. “Kenaz is a hard-working, successful and professional leader who is actively involved in the community. He values his faith, his family and his purpose.”
The Pozen Scholars were established in the spring of 2021 through a gift made by Bob Pozen, of Boston, who also made similar gifts to the universities of Alabama and Florida.
“Kenaz Worthem is an excellent Pozen Scholar representative,” said Ken Cyree, dean of the School of Business Administration. “He is a Lafayette County native, and after growing up in Mississippi, he earned his engineering degree here at Ole Miss.
“He is always ready with a smile and he is very personable. Kenaz has very good academic credentials along with a solid resume of achievement in the technology industry, and I believe obtaining his MBA will allow him to achieve even greater heights in his career.”
In spring 2022, the Pozen Scholars expanded to three additional Southeastern Conference schools: Louisiana State University and the universities of Georgia and South Carolina.
“I am proud that Ole Miss is developing such a high-quality cadre of local scholars,” Pozen said. “The initial success of the program has led me to expand it to other SEC schools.”
Worthem, who is enrolled in the online program, graduated from UM in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and works as an IT professional.
“The chance at a new opportunity towards entrepreneurship is what motivates me,” he said. “I have always desired to own my own businesses and to work for myself. I am more of a free spirit and full of new ideas.”
Besides tuition assistance, Pozen Scholars are matched with professional business leaders who provide mentoring support during and after the students’ MBA education.