2022 LEAD RIGHT SCHOLARSHIP FUND

ACHIEVEMENT SQUARE, Inc.'s LEAD RIGHT Scholarship Fund was established in 2019 to recognize, celebrate and affirm Authentic Leadership among underrepresented high school students of color in the Washington, DC/Metropolitan area. We believe more of these students deserve to be seen and heard on college campuses. Their experiences inform their decisions to improve themselves through the pursuit of post-secondary educational opportunities, ultimately resulting in displays of selfless and righteous leadership in their homes, schools and communities.

Recent reports indicate that the college enrollment rate for Black and Hispanic students hovers well below 40%, with both tied at 36%, compared to 65% for Asian students and 41% for White students (The Condition of Education 2019). These percentages are even lower for American Indian/Alaska Native students.

In 2020, 26 high school students of color submitted applications for the LEAD RIGHT Scholarship. Submitted applications were reviewed and scored by a six-member panel of DMV Youth Coalition members. Based on feedback received from Selection Panel members, all 26 applicants qualified on the basis of race and ethnicity.

Statistically, 76 percent of the submitted applications came from students of color residing in Northern Virginia, specifically Prince William County, while another 12 percent from Washington, DC and 12 percent from Maryland. Twenty-seven percent (27%) of the applicants will be considered first-generation college students in Fall 2020, the remaining 73 percent (73%) second-generation.

Our 2020 recipients received monetary awards of $5,000 for use during their first year of post-secondary instruction. For the 2020 class only, renewal of each recipient's $5,000 monetary award is dependent on their ability to maintain a 3.5 (or better) grade point average each consecutive academic year, for no more than three (3) years, with the total amount awarded over a three-year period not exceeding $15,000/recipient.

Help us honor four more underrepresented high school students of color in the Washington, DC/Metropolitan area.

DONATE NOW TO THE 2022 LEAD RIGHT SCHOLARSHIP FUND.

Learn more about our 2020 LEAD RIGHT Scholarship Fund Campaign, and our four recipients, at https://achievementsquare.org/2020-lead-right-scholars/.  

Learn more about ACHIEVEMENT SQUARE, Inc. at https://achievementsquare.org/about/.