School scholarship dedicated to young gun violence victim now offering $20,000 grant to students

A scholarship dedicated to a Bronx community member who was killed days after his high school graduation get an increasing of funds.

Brandon Hendricks was struck by a bullet and killed at a June 2020 barbecue. He had plans to attend college on an athletic scholarship that year, and now has a basketball court named after him by the Jackson Houses.

Since Hendricks’ death, the local community has come together to honor his life in several ways, including with the Brandon Hendricks Scholarship, created by Bronx-based nonprofit Oyate Group.

The scholarship will now be giving two students a $20,000 grant over four years of college as long as they remain in one extracurricular and keep a minimum 3.0 grade point average. The grant was previously for $5,000.

One of the first recipients of the scholarship, Muhamed Bayo, is now a junior at Boston College studying political science.

“Having the scholarship gave me a peace of mind,” said Bayo. “I was able to just focus on education… I hope that I can go back and be as impactful as those people have been on me.”