For the 10th consecutive year, a Suffolk group has honored its roots by helping Suffolk high school graduates achieve their dreams.

On Monday, the East Suffolk High School Alumni Association presented four 2009 Suffolk high school graduates with $750 each to help with college tuition and expenses.

“We want to have an effect on the lives of the young people graduating in Suffolk,” said the Rev. Linwood Daughtrey, a life member of the association and chairman of the scholarship committee. “We do this to encourage and support the students while they are pursuing a productive life and contributing to society.”

The recipients of this year’s scholarships are Dominic Bowser, a graduate of Lakeland High School and current student at Norfolk State University; James Taylor, a graduate of Nansemond River High School and current student at Norfolk State University; and James Ridley, a graduate of Kings Fork High School and current student at Hampton University.

Danasha Edwards also received the Heritage Scholarship, a $750 scholarship awarded to a qualified individual who is a grandchild of a former East Suffolk High School student. Her grandfather graduated from East Suffolk in 1954. Edwards is a Lakeland graduate and attends Virginia Union University.

“These young people have pushed themselves to be great achievers at their respective universities,” Daughtrey said.

The awards are part of the alumni association’s “continued quest to mentor and support the youth in our community,” he said.

Daughtrey is joined on the board by Costella Ledbetter and Mary Stevenson, both retired educators.

Together, they have been handing out the scholarship since 1999. During that time, the amount of the scholarships has been raised from $500 to $750.