Students who struggle with poverty shouldn’t have to struggle with college.
Image via Wikimedia
In the past 30 years, tuition costs have skyrocketed by as much as 260 percent. For many low-income youth—who also struggle with underperforming schools and underpaying jobs—college is simply out-of-reach. So everyone’s favorite (or least favorite—depending on where you fall in the blogosphere), Lebron James, decided that he would do something about it. The basketball star/part-time comedic actor recently announced that his foundation would donate over $40 million to send over 1,000 students to college for free.
University of Akron at night. Image via Wikimedia
Lebron currently runs an organization known as The Lebron James Family Foundation, dedicated to helping support successful educational initiatives and underserved teenage youth. The “I Promise” Program focuses specifically on the kids of Akron, Lebron’s Ohio hometown. According to ESPN, students who are interested in the scholarship must complete the program and meet real educational requirements. Students will then be sent to the University of Akron, Ohio, where tuition runs about $9,500 a year. The cost of the program is estimated to run a very affordable $41.8 million. Easy!
40 million Americans now have student loan debt, totaling up to $1.4 trillion. Borrowers carry on average four loans each, at approximately $29,000. While Clinton and other candidates are making promises to do something about the crisis, the situation feels like a standstill. Big donations do make a big difference.
(Via: Mic)
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