Fifty-Five High School Seniors from Gwinnett County, Ga. and Orange County, Fla. Win $1 Million in Broad Prize Scholarships to Attend College
Los Angeles — Fifty-five graduating high school seniors from Gwinnett County Public Schools in Georgia and Orange County Public Schools in Florida will receive $1 million in Broad Prize scholarships to attend college, The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation announced today. Their school districts are the first co-winners in the history of The Broad (pronounced like "road") Prize, recognized last year for being the most improved urban school districts in the country.
Since 2002, The Broad Foundation has awarded at least $1 million in college scholarships to winners and finalists for The Broad Prize, the nation's largest education award honoring urban school districts that have demonstrated the greatest overall performance and improvement in student achievement while reducing achievement gaps among income and ethnic groups.
In 2014, The Broad Prize review board named only two finalists, and the selection jury decided to name both districts as winners, and each received $500,000 in scholarships. The Broad Foundation announced earlier this year that it was pausing The Broad Prize because of the slow pace of school improvement and the changing landscape of K-12 public education. The foundation will continue to administer The Broad Prize scholarship program while the prize is paused.
Unlike traditional scholarships, most of which go to students with the best grades, Broad Prize scholarships are awarded to graduating seniors who, like their school districts, demonstrate improvement throughout high school and who have financial need.
Broad Prize scholars receive two- or four-year scholarships depending on the type of institution they choose to attend. Scholarship recipients who enroll in four-year institutions receive $20,000 paid out over four years ($5,000 per year). Students who enroll in two-year institutions receive $5,000 scholarships paid out over two years ($2,500 per year). The scholarship selection and disbursement process is managed by Scholarship America.
"We are immensely proud of these students who have overcome the odds to attend college, and we celebrate their academic success by awarding these scholarships," said Bruce Reed, president of The Broad Foundation, a national education philanthropy based in Los Angeles. "Their academic achievements are a testament to their hard work and the commitment and dedication of their parents, teachers and administrators who believed in their potential. We look forward to great accomplishments from these scholars in college and beyond."
Below is a full list of this year's scholarship recipients. They join more than 1,200 Broad Prize scholars nationwide who have received $16 million in college scholarships since the first Broad Prize was awarded in 2002.
Founded by entrepreneur Eli Broad and his wife Edythe, both graduates of Detroit Public Schools. The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation is a philanthropy that seeks to ensure that every student in an urban public school has the opportunity to succeed. Bringing together top education experts and practitioners, the foundation funds system-wide programs and policies that strengthen public schools by creating environments that allow good teachers to do great work and enable students of all backgrounds to learn and thrive. For more information, visit www.broadeducation.org and Facebook and Twitter @broadfoundation. For more information about The Broad Prize, visit www.broadprize.org.