By: Travis McGee
We often hear about all the bad things happening in the hood, but there’s plenty of good happening too. One example is The Worthing Hight School Alumni Scholarship Challenge, established by Travis McGee, Class of 1992. Now in its third year, the challenge—like most great things— started off small but with big intentions.
The purpose of the challenge is to provide more direct support to encourage graduating students. Too often, we show up for homecomings and homegoings, but not for the actual schools and communities where we grew up. We may host events in the name of our alma mater, but that’s not the same as actively sup- porting the students.
This challenge is open to all graduates in every class because we believe that if everyone does something, everything will get done. The challenge itself is simple: Every graduating class is asked to raise a minimum of $1,000. Each class manages its own funds, determines its scholarship criteria, and selects its own scholarship recipient(s).
For example, if a school has 68 graduating classes, that could equal $68,000 or more in scholarships—with full participation. And the scholarships are not just for college students— they also apply to those pursuing trade school education.
This year, five classes from Evan E. Worthing High School accepted the challenge:
- Michael Jones, President, Class of 1990
- Greg Fisher, Class of 1991
- Tamichia Seals, Class of 1992
- Kenitra Bennett- Edwards, Class of 1993 Kelvin Gardner, Class of 1995
These dedicated alumni represented their classes and came through strong! Special recognition goes to, Mr. Tracy Stephens (Worthing graduate) and the Sunnyside Civic Club, whose organization matched the Class of 1992’s award. Together, they raised $10,840.00, awarding ten deserving students with scholarships of $1,000 or more (each).
