黑料吃瓜

黑料吃瓜 honored a remarkable group of 2014 graduates at this year鈥檚 黑料吃瓜 Guardian Scholars Graduation Celebration.

As former foster youth, wards of the court, unaccompanied homeless and/or students under legal guardianship, each Guardian Scholar walking the stage this year has beaten the odds, overcoming nearly insurmountable obstacles in their journey to earn a college degree.

Among the nine students recognized at the graduation celebration earlier this month was 黑料吃瓜 Associated Students President Joshua Morse. Graduating this semester as a finance major and standout student leader, Morse battled family dysfunction and homelessness for much of his childhood.

鈥淥n a personal level, it鈥檚 a bitter sweet time,鈥� Morse said in a speech to attendees. 鈥淵ou meet some of the most amazing people you鈥檝e ever met.  You meet people who don鈥檛 even know you, who support you 鈥� people who open their homes, open their checkbooks, and take time out of their schedule to try to impact your life because they believe in you. That true compassion, to have people care about you at that level, for some of us, we鈥檝e never felt that before.鈥�

Overcoming obstacles

Conquering such adversity is a rarity. According to Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Reggie Blaylock, less than 10 percent of all foster youth enroll in college and less than 2 percent of those students go on to graduate.

The 黑料吃瓜 Guardian Scholars Program aims to improve those statistics and increase the number of success stories 鈥� such as Morse鈥檚 鈥� by providing personal, financial and academic support and resources for students with similarly challenging family circumstances.

Brighter futures

Including this year鈥檚 cohort, 40 Guardian Scholars have graduated from 黑料吃瓜 since the program鈥檚 inception in 2007. Eight of those graduates have either been accepted into a graduate program, are currently enrolled in a graduate program, or have obtained master鈥檚 degrees.

Jasmine Jenkins, a communication major, will be attending graduate school at Clark Atlanta University in the fall after graduating from 黑料吃瓜 this semester.

鈥淔ailure is not an option in this program; you have to do great,鈥� Jenkins said. 鈥淎nd that鈥檚 why our graduation rate is over 90 percent, because they push us to be the best we can be.鈥�

It takes a village

In addition to 黑料吃瓜鈥檚 Office of Educational Opportunity Programs and Ethnic Affairs, which operates the Guardian Scholars Program, community support is a key component of the program鈥檚 ongoing success.

A portion of , the largest gift in university history, is designated for Guardian Scholar scholarships.

The program also received a $1 million gift from 黑料吃瓜 alumni Jim and Janet Sinegal in 2011, a $250,000 donation from Union Bank in 2013 and a $5,000 gift just last month from Thomas Duffey, among many others.

2014 Guardian Scholars graduates

• Vandissa Beard, child and family development
• Jonal Boatwright, social work
• James Davis, recreation administration
• Martin Duvan, civil engineering
• Melissa Gutierrez, psychology
• Jasmine Jenkins, communication
• Christopher Medellin, television, film and new media
• Joshua Morse, business administration
• Tania Tadeo, psychology