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South Florida Times: Youths Get $20,000 in Financial Aid
A program sponsored by the Urban League of Palm Beach County (West Palm Beach, FL) to encourage young people to pursue higher education donated more than $20,000 in scholarships last year, President and CEO Patrick Franklin said.
The National Urban League’s Incentive to Excel and Succeed (NULITES) initiative awarded the money to graduating seniors who need financial help to attend college, Franklin said.
“The need is there. The demand is there and whatever we can do to help our kids to get to college, that’s what we are here for,” he said.
The league boasts a 100 percent high school graduation rate for students who have been involved for more than one year. NULITES “ambassadors” Brandon Boggs, 17, a senior at Suncoast Community High School, Courtlyn Patrick, 15, a sophomore at Palm Beach Lakes Community High School and Breyanna Williams, 15, also a sophomore at Palm Beach Lakes Community High School say the program has benefited them greatly.
Brandon said the NULITES program has helped him understand how helping people can change their outlook on life and he plans on attending a Florida university to study physical therapy.
As part of the initiative, the league invites prominent local and national personalities to speak to the youths. Recently, it brought three television news celebrities for its annual Youth Empowerment Luncheon whose theme was “Building On The Dream.”
The event, held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in downtown West Palm Beach, was attended by MBNBC’s NewsNation anchor Tamron Hall, who was mistress of ceremonies, and Touré, co-host of MSNBC’s The Cycle, who was the keynote speaker.
To read the full article on the South Florida Times Website, click here.
