Take Stock in Children and the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation awarded $287,000 in scholarships to 21 graduating seniors who also received a laptop computer.
The 2023 Take Stock in Children graduates are:
Escambia Virtual: Trinity Weaver;
Northview High: Johnnie Howell, Jr.;
Pine Forest High: Bobbie-Sue Jarrell, Bricen Kelly, Jayla Rudolph, Aiden Wilson;
Tate High: Calvin Brewer, Tyler Hurley, Avery Leventhal, Loghan Zellers;
Booker T. Washington High: Kelsey Bolling, Briana Coates, Kiana Hollis, Teddy Robinson III, Shiriell Watson;
West Florida High: Alonna Brown, Patrick Delcour, Efrain Escarfullet III, Kiara Mullins, Kendall Poston, Ty’QuJuan Stallworth-Horne.
Why this matters: Scholarships are funded through a unique public-private fundraising model in which local scholarship donations are matched by the Florida Prepaid College Foundation when scholarships are purchased each year.
Laptops were donated through a program founded by Nick & Nathan Gupta and currently coordinated by Walton Buckley.
Dig Deeper: Take Stock in Children was established in 1995 as a non-profit organization in Florida operating locally under the Escambia County Public Schools Foundation.
The program provides a unique opportunity for deserving low-income students to escape the cycle of poverty through education. Students are selected through a need-based application process in middle school, and comprehensive services continue through high school and include the students’ transition into college. Students receive college scholarships, caring volunteer mentors, and college readiness skills.
For more information, contact Sally Lee, Take Stock in Children Coordinator, (850) 341-6607, slee@ecsdfl.us.