Op-Ed
By Felicia Outsey
As A parent of A Project Grad Scholar, I must say that Project Grad Knoxville Really Achieves Dreams. They kept their promise to assist Lanyah in her education endeavors throughout her Journey from Austin East High School to Pellissippi State Community College and on to Aveda!
This program, along with its dedicated and loving staff, is one of a kind in my book especially for students whose parents struggle to pay their college tuition. From experience, The “TN Promise” works best for students who have limited financial aid. So many students may not even see the funds from that program applied to their tuition unless they move on to a 4-year college. And it definitely doesn’t cover trade schools with limited Federal Grants available.
That’s understandable, yet that also means that students actually may not get the money as “promised” if they yield from low-income families despite following through with the rigorous requirements to keep it.
Some may disagree, but students who follow through to meet the qualifications to receive their Project Grad Scholarship don’t have to jump through many hoops to get it as promised! And It helps tremendously and definitely kept us from taking out too many loans. And to think The School Board tried to cut funding for This Program that Actually Works. Just Saying!
Thanks to Mrs. Ronnie Chandler and Ms. Jasmine and all the Staff at Project Grad for fighting for students and families and Showing Love 100%. #loveistheanswer
Felecia Outsey advocates for artistic outlets for youth. She is the founder of Devine Urban Expressions. She can be found on Facebook.