Ebony Allaya Miller was set to enroll at the Howard University College of Medical this coming fall. Ebony dreamed of returning home to the Bahamas to serve the numerous women who lack access to quality care. On November 18, 2022, when returning home from her second job as a medical scribe, a drunk driver struck her car and killed her. She served as a scribe to prepare for medical school, but also because she needed the money from this position to pay for medical school because she did not qualify for student loans through the US government as an international student.

The myriad injustices of this tragedy lead to our request to establish a scholarship at the Howard College of Medicine in her honor to support international medical students, with special consideration granted to students aspiring to pursue women's health.

In her primary job, Ebony Miller served as a research scientist in the Stromnes Lab at the University of Minnesota, focusing on cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Ebony had such a bright spirit and positive energy. She was such a hard worker and always eager to learn something new and master it. She was a remarkably brilliant and driven scientist and a close friend to all of us. Ebony was the person who made our lab a family. She had a strong intuition for others well being and would always ask if you were ok.

Ebony came from a family of artists and was a talented painter in her own right. We have included photos of portraits done by both Ebony herself and her father. Ebony was a very dedicated cat mom who loved to spoil her two cats and dress them up on holidays. In her free time Ebony loved to explore the city with her friends, including many restaurants. if you want to know more about Ebonys story, several news agencies have written articles about Ebonys life:https://www.startribune.com/family-woman-killed-crash-near-university-of-minnesota-researcher-doctor/600230655/

Our lab wants to establish a scholarship to honor Ebonys life and her mission. Please contact Zoe Schmiechen at schm5267@umn.edu or Jonah Butler at butle611@umn.edu if you have any questions.

For any general questions regarding giving to Howard University, please contact giving@howard.edu.