Arlington, VA – December 4, 2025 – Today, the Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) announces the winner of its Jomo Martin Nkunika Memorial Scholarship for a promising student of polysomnography. Rayven Holliday, from Maryland, is the 2025 recipient of the fourth annual scholarship; she will receive a $3,000 tuition grant to an approved CAAHEP-accredited PSG program, a CAAHEP-accredited END program with a PSG add on, or a CoARC accredited program with a PSG add on.
“Rayven shared her excitement to be part of a new generation of technologists—professionals who blend technical skill with compassion to improve patient outcomes and help people live healthier lives,” said Michelle DiMaria, BS, RRT, RPSGT, who is Chair of the Scholarship Committee. “She described coming from a community where sleep health is often overlooked, and therefore has a deep desire to bridge the gap between knowledge and care—educating, comforting, and empowering patients to take control of their sleep and their health.”
Rayven Holliday is currently a student in the Polysomnographic Technology program at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC).
“Sleep is not a luxury—it’s a foundation for health and stability,” said Raven Holliday. “My goal is to become a compassionate sleep technologist who helps people understand their sleep, overcome challenges, and regain the energy and confidence that come from truly restorative rest.”
The application window was opened from September 15 through October 15, 2025. The Committee reviewed all applications through a carefully crafted rubric to determine the best qualified applicants.
About The Jomo Martin Nkunika Scholarship
The scholarship is named in honor of Jomo Martin Nkunika, MSHCA, BS, CCSH, RPSGT. Jomo, a former member of the BRPT Board of Directors, was a strong advocate of sleep education and was the program director and adjunct professor of the Sleep Medicine Technology program at Montgomery College in Maryland. In addition, Jomo was a clinical manager with MedBridge Health at the Frederick Memorial Hospital Advanced Center for Sleep Studies.
Jomo was an integral part of the BRPT Board of Directors from 2016 until 2019 when he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Sadly, Jomo lost his battle against ALS in July 2021.
About The BRPT
The BRPT develops and administers credentialing exams for polysomnographic technologists and technicians. The RPSGT is respected worldwide as the leading credential for polysomnographic technologists. Since the first credentialing exam administration in 1979, BRPT has credentialed nearly 25,000 RPSGTs worldwide. In May 2014, BRPT launched the Certification In Clinical Sleep Health (CCSH) examination for healthcare providers specializing in sleep medicine who work directly with sleep medicine patients, families and practitioners for patient care management, improved outcomes, and sleep health education and advocacy for patients and the community.
The BRPT is an independent, non-profit certification board that cultivates the highest professional and ethical standards for polysomnographic technologists. In addition to administering the RPSGT, CPSGT, and CCSH exams in the United States and internationally, the BRPT also maintains the RPSGT registry and CPSGT roster. In addition, the BRPT provides its Continuing Sleep Technology Education (CSTE) Program for educational providers seeking continuing education credits for their offerings. For more information, please visit www.brpt.org.