admin When Kylie Hughes graduated from Southland School Prep Constitution Excessive Faculty in 2021, she knew that funding the following stage of her academic journey may very well be difficult.
Now a sophomore at Spelman School in Atlanta, Hughes is energized to make that step a actuality when the United Negro School Fund awards her $3,000, which covers books, medical health insurance and entry to the faculty’s wellness heart.
For Hughes, who minored in economics and majored in worldwide research, the scholarship was essential. She’s not alone.
“UNCF is so necessary in serving to college students merely due to the shortage of scholarships that sometimes goal traditionally black schools and universities,” she stated. “Most of the scholarships you search for when making use of to school are higher suited to predominantly white establishments.”
Scholarships that might doubtlessly assist get freshmen into school whereas decreasing the burden of pupil debt took heart stage at a big gathering on the Tinley Park Conference Middle final week.
The Superintendents’ Fee for the Examine of Variety and Demographics hosted the Spend money on the Future Scholarship Gala, a bunch of 37 faculty district leaders from the Southern Suburbs and past. The sold-out occasion raised $205,000, falling wanting our $250,000 aim, however donations are being accepted by March.
Highschool choirs from Wealthy Township, Southland School Prep, Kankakee Faculty District 111 and Proviso Township united on the occasion to carry out as a 150-member vocal choir.
A significant participant within the occasion was UNCF, which awards greater than 10,000 scholarships to college students at HBCU and 1,100 different colleges nationwide, in response to knowledge supplied by the group.
Kylie Hughes is simply a type of beneficiaries. One other is her brother Joshua Hughes, a 2020 Southland School Prep graduate who’s presently attending Howard College, a traditionally black college in Washington, DC.
“Each little factor helps. Even when they do not obtain quite a bit, they only must know that it’s there for them,” he stated. “They’ve funded many minority college students.”
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Districts taking part within the scholarship gala included Wealthy Township Excessive Faculty District 227, Bremen Excessive Faculty District 228, Matteson Faculty District 162 and Homewood Flossmoor Excessive Faculty District 233.
Blondean Davis, CEO of Southland School Prep, stated superintendents have lengthy labored to make sure college students are profitable in school, and their partnership with UNCF is as soon as once more bringing them collectively in help of a standard aim.
“What we’ve got in frequent is our dedication to offering top-notch coaching and workers improvement, however now this new undertaking is about elevating cash for scholarships,” stated Davis. “After the pandemic, it has been tough for some households. Difficulties emerge when speaking about school selections.
“If we are able to do something to take a number of the weight off, that will likely be our aim.”
District 227 Superintendent and Board President Johnnie Thomas stated the scholarship’s advantages prolong past the varsity campus.
“One of many issues we as a committee have all the time believed in is to actually put our time and put money into any academic apply that can enhance our neighborhood by enhancing the lives of our kids,” he stated. “Thus, by relieving the burden imposed on college students by school charges or different academic packages, our aim is to allow college students to concentrate on their academic careers and grow to be the most effective future professionals in our society. ”
Janice Neumann is a contract reporter for Every day Southtown.
