The University of the Virgin Islands is the June 2012 Tom Joyner School of the Month. The honor allows two UVI students, Latoya Benjamin and Tobias Ortega-Knight, to receive $2,500 Tom Joyner Foundation School of the Month Scholarships towards the 2012-13 academic year.

Four other UVI students have been selected to receive Tom Joyner Foundation Hercules Scholarships.

Hercules Scholars, named after Tom Joyner’s late father, Hercules L. Joyner, will each receive $1,500 scholarships toward the 2012-13 year at UVI.

Mark Van Beverhoudt, Kevin Dixon, Kirwin Hodge and Vakeel Pereira are UVI’s winners. All Hercules Scholars’ names are announced on the nationally syndicated “Tom Joyner Morning Show” on Thursdays.

Students selected for the Hercules scholarship must exhibit academic excellence, leadership skills and community service. They must be male, enrolled as full-time students at a Historically Black College or University, and have grade point averages of 3.5 or higher.

The Tom Joyner Foundation was founded in 1998 as the brainchild of the nationally syndicated radio personality. The School of the Month Program is the signature program of the Tom Joyner Foundation, which supports Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The University of the Virgin Islands is celebrating its 50-year, Golden Jubilee throughout the 2012 calendar year. It is the only member school of the HBCU outside the continental U.S.