15 Year Old Black Aspiring Scientist With 4.5 GPA Unable To Pay For College (UNC Won't Pay)

[SirReginald]

racist fukks.

15-Year-Old Aspiring Scientist Who
Skipped Two Grades, Earned 4.5 GPA
Is Unable to Secure Scholarship Money
By Tanasia Kenney - June 28, 2018



source: wfmynews2.com

After graduating high school two years early with an impressive 4.5 GPA, a 15-year-old prodigy from Greensboro, N.C. was on the fast track to college — a dream come true.

His plans have seemingly hit a roadblock, however, after he said he applied to dozens of scholarships but hasn’t heard back from a single one.

“That’s really worrying me,” a disappointed Ishmale Powell told local station WFMY News. ” … I’m not sure how I’m going to pay for tuition or anything because I come from a single-parent home and it’s been rough.”

Powell graduated from Page High School earlier this month and was UNC-Charlotte bound, where he planned to major in computer engineering and minor in aerospace engineering in the Fall. The high school grad, who skipped two grades and took high school-level courses when he was still in middle school, has dreams of becoming an astrophysicist. However, his academic prowess seemingly hasn’t been enough to bring in scholarship offers.

The lack of money is now threatening to derail his future.

“I have been always on my son real hard and trying to make sure he does the right thing,” said Shawn Powell, Ishmale’s dad. He said his son has $3000 in Pell Grant and $6000 from the UNC system for his first year of college. However, a fixed disability income has left him unable to afford the remaining $40,000 for room, board and other college fees.

“I’m trying not to think about the stuff now but it’s really real because he’s just walked across the stage,” the proud father said.

The family hasn’t lost all hope just yet. Powell said he’s still waiting to hear back from Say Yes to Education, which provides scholarships to public high school students. The teen said he applied for the scholarship back in November, but award letters are not scheduled to go out until July or August.

Even if he were to receive the funds, Powell would still be left in a bind because the scholarship only covers the difference in tuition — not the additional fees, WFMY reported. For now, the teen plans to attend UNC from home.

Donnie Turlington, the Interim Director of Say Yes of Guilford County, said it’s possible the teen’s age and the fact that he skipped Junior year may have played a role in him not receiving any scholarships. Turlington has since promised to look into Powell’s case and has already scheduled a meeting with the college-bound teen and his father.

“That’s a situation where we were in college and you have a student to fit into that category to give us a call,” he said. “High-performing students like him, we want to find a way that we can make sure we can break down the cost barriers involved with the college.”

Read more at: 15-Year-Old Aspiring Scientist Who Skipped Two Grades, Earned 4.5 GPA Is Unable to Secure Scholarship Money

 

[CoryMack]

North Carolina A&T would be thrilled to have him! Or Central down in Durham. Or Hampton up the road in Virginia. Plenty of Black schools right there in a 6 hr vicinity would take that man and he wouldn’t have to pay a dime.

And he’d be a lot better for it too

 

[NotAnFBIagent]

No way this dude that smart and not getting scholarship offers, especially if he has good SAT and ACT scores

I had less credentials than that and schools were throwing me money

 

[Rockstar Mom]

I get a scholarship every year.

He need to start off at a community college, somewhere he can actually afford. I honestly wouldn't pay that much a year for school period.

 

[Doobie Doo]

North Carolina A&T would be thrilled to have him! Or Central down in Durham. Or Hampton up the road in Virginia. Plenty of Black schools right there in a 6 hr vicinity would take that man and he wouldn’t have to pay a dime.

And he’d be a lot better for it too

NCCU and Maryland Eastern Shore were the only 4 year colleges to accept me out of HS. I'm sure breh can get a scholarship there.

 

[I Really Mean It]

Where are these c00ns who throw down racks for tacky jewelry?

 

[AtomicUse]

Just to community college.

 

[Anerdyblackguy]

SJU would’ve given this brother a free ride for four years.

UNC Greensboro is fukking up big time.

 

[Kerkum]

No one wants to cultivate black intellectualism

 

[GoAggieGo.]

Man, listen. This dude is going to Page, which is only a few miles from T. He says he wants to be a computer engineer, and A&T is a black engineering powerhouse. I don’t know if he’s applied there or not, but I’m guessing he hasn’t, because I don’t see A&T passing on a kid like him and I’m sure they’d pay for his entire education.

I can understand him not wanting to go to a particular school, but if these white schools don’t want you, then don’t keep running and begging. Take your ass to some place that wants you.

 

[RennisDeynolds]

How is he not fielding offers from Ivy League schools or any of the other great schools in NC?

Something sounds funny here, bc honestly those schools would love to have a kid like that it's free promo (diversity) for them while adding another top student to boost there admittance standards.

Idk if it's an age thing holding him back (I don't see why but the only thing I can think of and that sounds flimsy as hell), but I know of programs where the high school kids come out with 60% of their bachelor's done.

There are definitely way more scholarships out there from different companies and organizations not just the school, so maybe somebody needs to point him in that direction.

There's

 

[Anerdyblackguy]

How is he not fielding offers from Ivy League schools or any of the other great schools in NC?

Something sounds funny here, bc honestly those schools would love to have a kid like that it's free promo (diversity) for them while adding another top student to boost there admittance standards.

Idk if it's an age thing holding him back (I don't see why but the only thing I can think of and that sounds flimsy as hell), but I know of programs where the high school kids come out with 60% of their bachelor's done.

There are definitely way more scholarships out there from different companies and organizations not just the school, so maybe somebody needs to point him in that direction.

There's

Im trying to figure out the bolded as well. Why isn’t Duke or UNC on this kid?

 

[TL15]

He can afford school
He (and his parents) are saying he can't afford his particular school of choice

Good for him all his accomplishments but choose a different school. I was good at football, but USC didn't offer me a scholarship...I had to go to a different school


The ONLY thing I could think of is maybe some scholarships have a minimum age and he is too young to actually receive them. That might be the holdup. Part of the article mentions him having to attend UNC from home because of the "additional fees" which I am guessing are room and board. If he is under 18, he may not be able to live in school housing, so they may not have offered him a scholarship - or all of the required money - to live on campus as an unaccompanied minor.

 

[Deuterion]

I’m not the most informed when it comes to post-HS academic politics but I do think his age could be holding him back more so than his race or school of choice. At 15, I don’t think he is emotionally ready for post-HS education and he will quickly become a circus act and eventually ostracized at any school due to him not even being old enough to drive. He will have no peers and that to me would be a big risk if I was granting scholarships. I could give someone 140k in funding who I know is emotionally ready to handle it and able to find a peer group or I can give it to someone who is going to be ostracized from day one and is going to have to grapple with not being able to bond with anyone IN ADDITION to the difficult curriculum. I know which option I’d select.

 

[GoAggieGo.]

Congrats to the young homie, though!

Man, if this dude is trying to be an engineer, fukk a Duke, a UNC Chapel Hill or Greensboro. In the state, he should be applying to NC State, A&T, or Charlotte.