With the costs of high education rising, the competition for receiving a scholarship is fiercer than ever. But one local scholarship program decided to award every single applicant with a financial gift.
Dallas lawyer Amy Witherite handed out scholarships to 44 graduating seniors from Dunbar High School in the Stop Six neighborhood of Fort Worth, according to Fox 4. Each is worth $2,500 and can be renewed for each year spent enrolled in university.
“You get a scholarship, you get a scholarship, you get a scholarship, you get a scholarship, every one of you guys!” said Witherite during the awards ceremony, according to Fox 4.
The gesture, worth an astounding $250,000 when renewals are taken into account, has the possibility to change the lives of these students.
“This scholarship means a lot to me because it’s helping me take a bigger step into the next level of life and being able to go in college,” said scholarship recipient and Dunbar High senior Kyran Powe, according to Fox 4.
As The Dallas Express reported, set off by inflation, the annual cost of an ivy league education is inching ever closer to the $90,000 mark.
Even non-ivy schools are reporting similar figures, such as Middlebury College, a distinguished liberal arts college in Vermont, which will cost undergraduates $86,880 for the upcoming term.
In light of the financial burdens many graduating seniors will likely face during their pursuits in higher education, scholarship programs like Witherite’s lend them a hand.
“To earn this and not have to worry about much in college, as far as financially, it’s really a great award, and it makes me feel very accomplished,” Dunbar High senior and scholarship recipient Daniela Baeza told Fox 4.
As a lawyer, it is fair to say that Witherite has done a fair amount of paperwork over the course of her career. Perhaps this is why the scholarship recipients only have to submit a one-page renewal form to receive the reward for each year they are in school.
“One page, and you get another $2,500,” explained Witherite, according to Fox 4.
Witherite grew up in Fort Worth and her mother was an elementary school principal in the Stop Six neighborhood.
The historic African American neighborhood has been the target of several initiatives to fight crime and revitalize the community over these past years.
For instance, the neighborhood’s very first charter elementary school opened last year to offer students specialized and personalized learning, as The Dallas Express reported.
“This neighborhood is important, these kids are important. They’re smart kids, but a lot of them just need a little extra help,” Witherite said, according to Fox 4.
Data from the Texas Education Agency show that over 94% of students at Dunbar High School are considered economically disadvantaged. For the 2021-2022 school year, 75.1% of seniors graduated on time, while 53% of students scored at grade level.
These figures are not very dissimilar to Dallas ISD, which has struggled to provide its students with a good education for years. In the same school year during which the district was budgeted $19,897, 41% of students scored at grade level, while 81.1% of seniors graduated on time.
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