Coconut Creek student to receive a four-year scholarship to Florida State University as part of the 2020 African-American Achievers Awards program

With a mission to serve those in her community and empower other students, Paige Harris made quite an impression on the associates from JM Family Enterprises tasked with selecting the next youth achiever.

Harris, a recent graduate of Atlantic Technical High School in Coconut Creek, will be honored as the 2020 Jerome Edmund Gray Youth Achiever. This distinction is part of the annual African-American Achievers awards program, presented by JM Family, Southeast Toyota Distributors and JM Lexus, which has honored South Florida community leaders for the past 28 years.

An Honor Roll student, Harris was extremely active at her high school. As co-treasurer of the Will Make It Enrichment Program, she worked to help fellow students stay on track to help achieve their career goals and further their education. She studied Licensed Practical Nursing and took part in the dual-enrollment program through Broward College. A cheerleader and member of the student government, she was also busy setting an example in the community. Harris could often be found volunteering at various schools and libraries, mentoring younger children. She is a Sunday school teacher who also teaches vacation bible school for Kingdom Now Ministries.

Harris’s hard work and determination has landed her a four-year scholarship to Florida State University. She plans to major in biochemistry with a minor in creative writing. Her goal is to become a cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgeon.

The Youth Achiever award, named in memory of 1995 African-American Achiever Jerome Edmund Gray, recognizes a South Florida high school senior who qualifies for financial aid and has applied and received admission to FSU. The award is given as part of the annual African-American Achievers Awards ceremony, which was established in 1992 by automotive legend Jim Moran to recognize leaders for their exceptional contributions toward building stronger communities in South Florida.

Harris, along with the four 2020 African-American Achiever Award recipients, will be honored at a special ceremony at Broward Center for the Performing Arts, which was postponed until May 12, 2021 due to COVID-19. This year’s honorees include:

Arts & Culture – Traci Young-Byron

Business & Entrepreneurism – Ken Roland

Community Service – Marleine Bastien

Education – Danni Washington

About JM Family Enterprises, Inc.

JM Family Enterprises, Inc., founded by Jim Moran in 1968, is a $17.75 billion diversified automotive company ranked No. 20 on Forbes’ list of America’s Largest Private Companies. It is also ranked No. 26 by FORTUNE® as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For®, its 22nd consecutive year on the list. JM Family has more than 4,300 associates and its primary subsidiaries include:Southeast Toyota Distributors, the world’s largest independent distributor of Toyota vehicles;JM&A Group, one of the leading independent providers of finance and insurance (F&I) products in the automotive industry;Southeast Toyota Finance andDataScan, both part ofWorld Omni Financial Corp., a diversified financial services company;JM Lexus, South Florida’s only Lexus Plus dealer; andHome Franchise Concepts, a franchise network of home improvement products and services consisting ofBudget Blinds,Tailored Living,Concrete Craft andAdvantaClean. Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Fla., JM Family has major U.S. operations in Jacksonville and Margate, Fla.; Commerce and Alpharetta, Ga.; Mobile, Ala.; St. Louis, Mo.; and Irvine, Calif. Interact with JM Family onFacebook,Twitter,Instagram and LinkedIn.