"Today and always, there will be an obligation to pass on to the new generation the tradition of liberal scholarship - scientific or in the humanities - and to bring the understanding of things and human actions to everyone." - Frank Macfarlane Burnet
The stars of Black Panther movie have announced and awarded a $250, 000 scholarship to a lucky student.
According to the Danai Gurira (who played Okoye in the movie), while speaking on behalf of fellow stars - Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong’o at the just concluded Hollywood Reporter’s 2018 Women in Entertainment gala, the scholarship was for young girls to cover their education cost.
During her speech to the excited crowd, Gurira said:
“In support of fostering young diverse voices in entertainment, the Walt Disney Studios is delighted to announce its own Black Panther Scholarship.
“Because we all know, if we want to live in a world that looks more like Wakanda, the first step is to invest in some girls and women.”
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the scholarship which is worth $250,000 will provide a full ride for the lucky student to study at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.
The lucky winner for this year's award was Kalis Coleman - a 17-year-old student from Inglewood, California, who currently participates in The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program and dreams of becoming a pediatric dermatologist.
Her $250,000 scholarship money was presented to her on stage during the ceremony.
Receiving the award, the excited Kalis said:
“I would like to thank my parents who birthed me, who made me who I am today. … I just want to stand and say this is for girls who live in Compton, who live in Inglewood, and this is for girls and men who face adversaries. I just want to say that we can do it and it is possible.”
Kalis is not the only lucky student to receive scholarship money as it was disclosed that other mentees will receive scholarships up to a total of 1.7 million dollars.
According to The Hollywood Reporter:
“The scholarships were awarded to L.A. teens from underserved communities who are currently taking part in the Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program. Each of the 18 girls finishing her mentorship year will receive a $10,000 scholarship to attend the university of her choice, with six girls receiving full-ride scholarships worth more than $250,000 each to attend Loyola Marymount University, a longtime partner in the program. Since the program’s inception, more than $6 million in scholarship money has been raised.”
The stars also spoke about the Young Executive Fellowship Program, which is a two-year program that provides high school students from Compton, Inglewood and Los Angeles with training and mentorship to become future leaders in the entertainment industry.
CNBC further reported that the program’s board of directors includes:
“Several high-profile leaders including Aja Brown, mayor of Compton; Eric Garcetti, mayor of Los Angeles; Bonnie Hammer, chairman of NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment Group; Sherry Lansing, former chairman of Paramount Pictures; Martin Luther King III, president of The King Center and Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios.”
This is indeed a welcome development, don't you agree?
Header Image Source: Marvel Studios