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NEW YORK - On Monday, March 12, Rep. Charles B. Rangel announced this year's winners of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation/Wal-Mart Strive for Excellence Scholarships at a small breakfast ceremony at the Adam Clayton Powell State Office Building.
Hunter College student George Mtonga, Fairfield University student Kevin Shaw and Penn State University student Tarren West each received $2,000 to put towards their undergraduate education. The 19-year-olds all originally hail from within the 15th Congressional District, which includes parts of the Upper West Side, Harlem, East Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood.
"Succeeding in college is not just about having the academic skills to thrive in the classroom. You also have to have money to pay for everything from books to food to tuition," said Congressman Rangel. "Thanks to this scholarship, more students around the country can spend more time studying for exams and essays rather worrying about bills and loans."
As important as the additional aid is to the students, so is the satisfaction that comes from being recognized for their achievements.
"The scholarship came at a crucial time financially and gives me the energy to continue working hard in school," said Mtonga. "The most important thing is not the amount of money, but the knowledge that there are people who want me to do well and succeed in college."
Last year, Wal-Mart donated a million dollars to create new programs and support existing initiatives that the CBCF and the CBC Spouses Foundation have created to expand educational opportunities for young people nationwide.
For more information about the CBCF/Wal-Mart Strive for Excellence Scholarship and other CBCF educational initiatives, please visit http://www.cbcfinc.org.. Editors and reporters can click here to download photos from the breakfast.
ABOUT THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS FOUNDATION
The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. (CBCF) was established in 1976 as a non-partisan, non-profit, public policy, research and educational institute. Our mission is to serve as the non-partisan policy-oriented catalyst that educates future leaders and promotes collaboration among legislators, business leaders, minority-focused organizational leaders, and organized labor to effect positive and sustainable change in the African American community. To that end, CBCF works to broaden and elevate the influence of African Americans in the political, legislative, and public policy arenas.
ABOUT THE SCHOLARSHIP RECEPIENTS
George Mtonga graduated from the Frederick Douglas Academy last year and is current attending Hunter College. The 4.0 student moved to Harlem in 2002 from Zambia, Africa and hopes to become a doctor one day. Current Fairfield University sophomore Kevin Shaw graduated Rice High School 21st out of a class of 87 in 2005. He was an active leader, tutoring other students and finishing his studies with 3.6 GPA. Shaw is interested in politics and plans to go to law school.
Taren West is a member of the 2005 class of St. Thomas Aquinas High School. The former Harlem Hospital intern is currently attending Penn State University and would like to become a registered nurse.
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