Tag: scholarship

Inspired by the #IceBucketChallenge, Students Are Nominating Celebs to Pay Their Tuition

Posted on by robbie

Never underestimate the power of social awareness campaigns.
That’s the lesson we’ve learned during the past month as celebrities, your Facebook friends and people around the world have been dumping buckets of ice water on their heads to raise funds and awareness for ALS (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease). Thanks to the #IceBucketChallenge, the ALS Association has raked in more than $100 million and counting.
Piggybacking off the viral sensation, socially savvy college students have decided to use the power of the hastag to draw attention to the cost of higher education.
Called the #PayMyTuitionChallenge, these young men and women are “nominating” the rich and the famous — President Obama, Jay Z, Beyoncé, and Bill Gates to name a few — to pay their college tuition.
MORE: Does Dumping Water on Your Head Actually Work to Raise Awareness?
According to EducationDive, the #PayMyTuitionChallenge hashtag clocked in more than 30,000 tweets in just over 36 hours at a rate of 4,000 student tweets per hour.
And while celebrities have yet to respond to the recent barrage of tweets, the learning management system Blackboard definitely noticed and even launched a scholarship campaign around the challenge.
The company offered one $15,000 award and two $5,000 awards going to the runners-up. To enter, students had fill out a Blackboard website and explain in a video, photo or written response how they will use their education to make the world a better place. The most popular submissions received the scholarships. Blackboard said they received more than 350 entries from all over the world, and last week, the company announced their three winners.
As we’ve previously mentioned, college tuition is only rising and our country’s total student loan debt has soared past a staggering $1 trillion. American grads are saddled with more student loans than ever before, and it’s clear that we have to fix this broken system.
As second place scholarship winner Keeyuania P. from the University of Southern Mississippi said, “Education is one of the best investments a young adult can make. Education has the power to change the world.”
DON’T MISS: Ask the Experts: How Can We Keep From Drowning in College Debt?

When These Teens Couldn’t Afford College, a Celebrity Invested in Their Future and It’s Clearly Paying Off

Posted on by robbie

Across the country, scores of talented, hardworking and very accomplished teens will not get the opportunity to go to college no matter how well they do in school.
Why? Because they can’t afford it.
Back in 2009, that was the exact situation facing Delaware high school students Jaiquann, Elijah, Darien and Barien. Overcoming extreme hardship, they persevered and were each accepted to their dream colleges. However, they each had a rude awakening when they realized they could never pay for it.
This crushing of aspirations was unfortunate not only for these four students, but for the entire country because a better-educated workforce would certainly benefit everyone. After all, an education is a surefire way for low-income individuals to break into the middle class.
Luckily, something incredible happened for these four young men. And it came in the form of entertainer will.i.am.
MORE: A Black Eyed Pea Has Something to do With This Green Gadget
As the Huffington Post reports, five years ago these teens were guests on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” After each shared his story, Winfrey brought out the Black Eyed Peas singer who decided to give them his first-ever i.am scholarships — a full ride for four years, including room and board and books.
“I know my purpose is to continue to inspire young people because it’s just going to keep inspiring me back. I want to do my part,” will.i.am said at the time. “I want to invest in America’s future and I want to send you to college. I am here to let you know that you can be anything you want to be. You are the future of the world.”
Fast forward to present day, and it’s clear that will.i.am’s investment was no mistake. In a recent episode of “Oprah: Where Are They Now?,” Winfrey decided to check in on these now-grown men. And not only have they all become accomplished individuals, they have soared.
ALSO: Delaware Pushes to Get More Low-Income Students Enrolled in Higher Education
Thanks to will.i.am’s generous gift, Jaiquann is now a teacher after earning a degree in education from Pennsylvania’s Cabrini College. Elijah, an Indiana University of Pennsylvania grad, is working his way into the architectural field. Darien will graduate with an industrial engineering degree from Morgan State University in Baltimore next year, and Barien is set to graduate from pharmacy school in 2016.
Not only that, but these men are also paying it forward to help kids who were just like them. “We’ve been going to a lot of elementary, middle and high school just talking to the youth about how important it is to maintain high grades, how important it is to go to college,” said Jaiquann. “Basically, do whatever it takes to follow your dreams and meet your goals in life.”
DON’T MISS: This Could Be the Most Passionate Plea Ever for Why We Can’t Turn Our Backs on Undocumented Students
 
 

The Beautiful Legacy of the World’s Ugliest Dog

Posted on by robbie

After being named World’s Ugliest Dog in 2007, Elwood became the star of children’s books, teaching kids to love themselves and others despite physical differences. Beloved for this advocacy, Elwood passed away, but not before scholarships were established for special needs people in his honor. It’s a beautiful thing.