Meet the HBCU awardees of McDonald's Black and Positively Golden Scholarship Program
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Posted By: Reginald Culpepper on March 22, 2022 Last year, McDonald's Black and Positively Golden Scholarship Program, in partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and Shine, awarded three HBCU students with $15,000 scholarships each to help support their educational goals. The scholarship provides assistance for scholarship recipients as they navigate being Black college students as well as the mental health challenges that have increasingly impacted young people of color throughout the pandemic. The awardess are as follows:
Additionally, during Black History Month, McDonald's USA and Roland S. Martin awarded more than $100,000 in scholarships to rising juniors and seniors attending HBCUs. Overall, these scholarships demonstrate McDonald’s continued commitment to doing its part in helping to keep the HBCU experience alive and thriving! We took part in a Q&A session with the three awardees discussing the benefits and impact of the scholarship on their lives. How did you first hear that you were a recipient of the award and how did you react? Megan: I remember receiving an email from TMCF one afternoon informing me that I was a recipient. I was visiting home that week because I was very overwhelmed with how my first month of college was going. Getting that news instantly gave me a sense of purpose. It forced me to put my big girl pants on and realize that I am in college for a reason and that God has big plans for me and my future. Emilie: I received an email congratulating me on being a finalist. After that I would check my TMCF profile almost daily. Then one day there it was - my application said approved! I was estatic! I immediately called my mom. I remember saying "Guess what, girl?" and she replied "You won didn’t you!?!" I was so happy, proud and just grateful to GOD. Imani: When I first heard that I was a recipient of the McDonald's Black and Positively Golden Scholarship, I was talking to my best friend and checking my emails. I noticed an email from Thurgood Marshall College Fund and started reading the letter. Halfway through reading the email, I started yelling with joy over the phone and told my best friend that I got the McDonald’s Black and Positively Golden Scholarship. I told her I had to hang up and tell my parents immediately. I [used Face Time to call] my parents right away with joy, sharing the exciting news of being awarded the scholarship. I celebrated by going out to dinner. So, tell us how much of a help this award does for you? Imani: The Thurgood Marshall McDonald's Black and Positively Golden Scholarship" shines a light on my journey forward towards becoming an African American female chemical engineer. This scholarship will allow me to flourish as I continue to learn and grow as a student at Tuskegee University. This scholarship allows me to take advantage of the wonderful opportunities my school has to offer such as career prep, getting internships, and being taught by wonderful professors. Megan: I have always been very passionate about working in medicine and healthcare and how it can be successfully implemented and managed to help others feel their best and be healthy. Although I am very committed to undertaking professional education to fulfill my goals, the expensive cost of some colleges has held me back from taking them. This award will help alleviate a lot of financial stress from me and my parents and allow me to focus more on my academics. Emilie: This scholarship will help me to further my education by removing the burden of having to focus on finances. It has allowed me to not have to work and be able to focus and concentrate on my studies. My course load has been really difficult this year. Receiving this award has allowed me more time to study and made it easier for me concentrate and exert my energy on maintaining my grade point average which will help me to get into graduate school. Congratulations on choosing an HBCU to further your education! So what was it that made you choose the school you ultimately decided to attend? Emilie: My career goal is to become a Speech Pathologist. Through research, I discovered that Alabama A&M has one of the best programs for this course of study in the country. By majoring in Communicative Science and Disorders at A&M, I will be able to gain the knowledge and tools to obtain my Doctorate degree in Speech Pathology. I will use this knowledge to fulfill my passion of helping people with disabilities. Megan: Tuskegee University is a home away from home. It is very family-oriented and is also one of the top HBCUs in the nation. Every day I am surrounded by people who push me to my furthest potential and who believe in me. Imani: Tuskegee University has a rich history in the STEM field and I wanted to experience the culture of an HBCU. My parents and I did a college road trip to all the universities where I got accepted. When we finally made it to Tuskegee, I fell in love with the campus. A tour guide showed me around the large campus and told me what it was like being an engineering student at Tuskegee. What helped me solidify my choice was getting the opportunity to meet a mentor/ professor and other students at Tuskegee. This made me feel like I belonged and was a part of a family. Thank you for those lovely answers. Finally, can you tell me who was the motivating factor in you going to college? Megan: My parents were huge motivating factors. They are both HBCU graduates and have always stressed to me and my siblings the value of quality education. My parents have always encouraged me to follow my dreams and work hard for what I want in life. Imani: A motivating factor in going to college was my parents. They believe in education. The most important thing a person can have is knowledge. They always tell me that knowledge is one thing that a person cannot take away from you. Another motivating factor in going to college was my mother. My mother attended Howard University and pushed me to go to an HBCU because she wanted me to have that HBCU experience. Emilie: My mom was the most motivating factor in me going to college. When I was very young, my mom worked very hard as a licensed practical nurse (LPN). She was able to provide for me and my siblings but she had to work long hours. Later in my childhood, she decided to go back to college and obtain her bachelor’s degree in nursing. I watched her continue to work while attending college full-time. She explained to me that having a college degree allows you to be able to get better jobs and successfully provide for your family. My mom graduated from college and successfully obtained her degree. This allowed her to be able to work less hours. Observing this life altering event motivated me to attend college. Thank you to all of the awardees of the McDonald's Black and Positively Golden Scholarship Program! We all look forward to your graduation and prosperous future that you have ahead of you. Sign Up to receive scholarships and opportunities like this by email! https://hbcuconnect.com/signup If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Reginald Culpepper
President, Fulfillment and Web Services, HBCUCONNECT Clark Atlanta University class of 1998 Member Since September 2000 |
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