College Scholarship Programs
On average, an individual with a Bachelor’s degree makes $354 more a week than an individual with a high school diploma. This difference may seems insignificant until you do the math: the gap in salary results in the individual with a Bachelor’s degree earning $1,416 more a month, which adds up to $16,992 more a year. Money, of course, is not the only difference between individuals who have gone on to receive a college education and those who have not. Students who attend college gain invaluable experiences that range from reading books that they may never have heard of otherwise, contemplating ideas they would have never imagined, and the ability to open doors that they would have never dreamed of opening. Attending college also provides students with the priceless opportunity to meet others with common interests and form friendships that will last a lifetime.
Unfortunately, students graduating from of high school are not personally equipped with the funds they need to pay for their college tuition. Some students are blessed with parents who are able to pay for or contribute to their child’s education. However, for many students of low income families, a college education seems like a dream. Every individual deserves the chance to attend college and gain the amazing experiences that come along with pursuing higher-education. Change a Life Foundation seeks to make this possible for students who can not afford to pay for the cost of college themselves.
In 2006, the Change a Life Foundation dispersed $356,450 in scholarships to 78 low-income high school seniors in order to assist them in their academic endeavors. Students who receive these scholarships are in serious need of financial help, and have excelled in their high school education. Recipients of these scholarships are pursuing careers in law, medicine, research, teaching, physics and business. They are attending schools such as University of California-Los Angeles, University of Southern California, University of California-Irvine, University of California-San Diego, University of California-Berkeley, Harvard, Yale Dartmouth, Brown, Columbia, and many other outstanding schools.
Helen Keller once said: “The highest result of education is tolerance.” By providing this opportunity for higher education to these students, the Foundation hopes that those receiving the scholarships will apply the knowledge they gain toward living a life of service in which they will pass on the kindness that they have been shown.