In the last week alone, there have been two NBA stars who’ve done something major for young students.
After LeBron James opened his “I Promise” school in his hometown of Akron, Ohio a few days ago, Derrick Rose launched a new scholarship program called “The Rose Scholars,” where he’ll be giving away more than $400,000 in tuition money.
“Through ‘The Rose Scholars’ program, I hope to provide students a path to college that was not previously available to them,” said Rose in a statement. “Investing in school-age youth has long been a passion of mine, and I am proud to continue to help children pursue higher education as a means to better themselves and their communities.”
Trying to better one’s community is a big part of the scholarship program since recipients will have to be “civic-minded and demonstrate a willingness to lead” in order to win.
On top of that, applicants will have to submit a 600-word essay and upload a photo or video on social media that explains just how they led in the past.
Those interested will also need to have a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average with at least a 1230 SAT score. The program is only open to high school sophomore, juniors and seniors.
As far as the grand prize, the winner will get $200,000 of tuition money, and $25,000 of it will be paid each semester for four years. Second and third place winners will get a one-time tuition payment of $20,000 to be paid in the semester of fall 2018.
This isn’t the first time the Minnesota Timberwolf has given back to the youth. In 2014 he donated $1 million to a Chicago based charity called After School Matters, an organization that links teenagers with apprenticeships.
The deadline to submit applications for “The Rose Scholars” is September 30, 2018, and the winners will be announced on Oct. 15.
