After the murder of their son, one metro Atlanta family tried to turn their tragedy into a triumph for others by helping college students pay for college.
In doing so, they encountered an ironic fact: While many students struggle to pay for their education, some of the financial help available, like their small offering, goes unclaimed.
Sheila “Michelle” Foye said she hoped scholarships the family offered would help others to fulfill the dreams that her son never would.
On June 16, 2016, she got the news every parent dreads — her son was dead.
The victim of a drug-related gang hit, Demonde Donya Dicks Jr. was shot in the back of the head while at a basketball court in Columbus, Ga. He had just completed a drug transaction and had been set up to be robbed.
Although her son wasn’t a model child, Foye couldn’t accept that his 24 years on earth meant nothing. She’d had him when she was just 17, but he was her inspiration.
“I went from being a high school dropout to graduating early even though it was a struggle,” she said. “I eventually continued my education to become a teacher at the college level.”
Foye wanted DJ’s death (as he was called by family) to inspire others.
Her family started the Breakthrough Foundation with the mission of providing one-time scholarships for young men to attend college or technical school. Like many scholarships offered by those whose altruism is greater than their wealth, the awards ended up being $500 — not life-altering, but a help.
Foye awarded seven scholarships in 2017, the foundation’s first year.
“It was very satisfying to help these students,” she said. “Everyone has value and we as a society need to do more to promote these kids. I believe that education not only helps the individual but also the world in which they live.”
By the next year, it got harder to give the money away.
“We had two recipients at first, but one dropped out of school so we only awarded the one scholarship,” said Foye. “And this year, we had to extend the deadline for accepting applications. It’s almost like I have to beg people to take this money.”
Foye isn’t alone.
Countless scholarships across the country go unclaimed every year for various reasons — the requirements are too specific, the awards are too small or not enough people know about them. There’s no way to know exact numbers, but estimates vary from several hundred million to nearly one billion dollars.
Higher education loan provider Sallie Mae and Ipsos, a market research company, compile annual data on how Americans pay for college. The 2018 report, the most recent one available, showed that for most families nearly half of college expenses are paid out of pocket. About three in five college students received one or more scholarships, with a total average amount of $7,760.
“The data suggest that scholarships … are one of the most valuable means of helping families pay for college; last year, these funds paid for almost a fifth of the total cost of college,” said Julia Clark, senior vice president of Ipsos. “Still, about a third of families do not even apply for scholarships, showing that there is still significant opportunity for families to continue to defray the cost of college.”
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Charlie Maynard, founder and CEO of Going Merry, a new business dedicated to helping students find funding for college, joined with fellow Stanford University graduates, as well as Carnegie Mellon University grads, to streamline the process.
“We make it easier for students to find and apply for scholarships and simpler for scholarship providers to create and manage them,” he said. “We’ve had over a million dollars of new scholarships created on Going Merry in the last year alone, including metro Atlanta.”
The family of Tara Grinstead, a teacher and former beauty queen, set up a scholarship to provide $1,000 to two eligible seniors from Irwin County High School, where Grinstead taught. Grinstead was murdered in 2005, but the suspect wasn’t arrested until 2017.
A student from DeKalb County’s Lakeside High School established a scholarship in his grandfather’s memory. Michael L. Lazer suffered from chronic illness throughout his childhood and adolescence and went on to become an attorney. This scholarship will award up to $650 to a Lakeside grad who has a chronic illness and pursues a two-year or four-year degree.
“Having information for so many scholarships in one place is a way for students to have more ambitious college choices,” said Maynard. “It also helps scholarship providers by getting more students to know that they exist.”
With a 2019 graduating class of nearly 13,000, Gwinnett County Public Schools has the daunting task of trying to help as many students as possible find ways to afford college. Besides career counselors and college fairs, the district has one of the few, if not the only, public school foundations in the state that helps establish and manage scholarships.
“Gwinnett has a unique system that helps connect scholarship providers with students,” said Aaron Lupuloff, director of the district’s foundation.
The foundation manages about 40 scholarships open to Gwinnett County students. Some are for specific schools or careers or have other limited criteria. And they range from $500 to several thousand dollars.
Many of the scholarships are in honor of former educators and allow staff to donate through payroll deductions. There is no fee for scholarship providers. The foundation allows the provider to do the selecting and sends funds directly to the institution.
“The success of GCPS graduates is a point of pride. The Class of 2018 was one of the most distinguished to date, earning close to $207.2 million in academic, athletic and military scholarships,” Lupuloff said, not including the state’s HOPE grants or full scholarships from the QuestBridge College Match or the Gates Scholarship programs.
Gwinnett has been approached by other school districts interested in the way it manages the foundation.
“It’s part of our job,” said Lupuloff. “Our commitment to providing students with a world-class education extends beyond their time on our campuses.”
Tips on applying for scholarships
Go local
While national scholarships generally get more visibility and press online, local scholarships usually offer better chances.
Find your edge
Scholarship providers spend countless hours reviewing scholarship applications. Just like in marketing, search for what gives you an advantage over your competition and use it. Start by creating a list of your strengths.
The more the merrier
When it comes to scholarships, more is always better! There’s no limit on how many you can apply for and applying for more only raises your chances.
Get a head start
High school students can start applying for scholarships as early as their junior year. Scholarships are available all year with a number of different deadlines, but many deadlines fall around March.
Take advantage of free sites
There are so many free sites to help find college scholarships, there’s no need to pay for it.
Check yourself out online
Social media says a lot about who we are. Do a quick Google search of your name or head to your social media profiles to see what pops up can help you avoid any surprises. Be careful about posts that could be viewed as negative by scholarship committees.
Keep Your Eye on the Prize!
Don’t lose hope during the application process. Figuring out how to get scholarships can seem overwhelming and time-consuming, but it’s 100% worth it in the end.
Source: Going Merry
More information
Breakthrough Foundation: breakthroughfoundationinc@gmail.com or 678-723-9772
Going Merry: goingmerry.com
Gwinnett County Public Schools Foundation: gcps-foundation.org
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