Dell scholars overcome barriers

The Dell Foundation awards 300 scholarships annually. Zahara Kazmi, of Parkville High & Center for Math/Science in Baltimore, was also a winner. Since 2004, the Foundation has provided students with $31 million in college scholarships. The Dell Scholars Program places greater emphasis on a student’s determination to succeed than just academic record and test scores. The purpose of the scholarship program is to empower students to gain the knowledge, skill sets, and attitude needed to cope with their changing world and the circumstances in which they live.

Dell Scholars are students who demonstrate their desire and ability to overcome barriers and to achieve their goals. Each application is evaluated based on the student’s determination to succeed, his/her future goals and plans to achieve them, and self-motivation in completing challenging coursework.

Once selected as a Dell Scholar, students receive $20,000 to complete their post-secondary studies over the course of six years. The program also provides students with “technology, a private scholar networking community, resources, and mentoring to ensure they have the support they need to achieve their college degrees.”

Cierra and Jasmyn are both AVID students, which is a program that offers support for students in the academic middle. They will each be the first in their families to attend college.

Ranked sixth in a class of 440 students, Cierra has narrowed her college choices to the Honors Program at University of Maryland College Park or Liberty University to study either Journalism or Intercultural Studies.

As an International Baccalaureate student, Jasmyn has pursued a rigorous path that has prepared her to succeed at the next level. She will also use the leadership skills she’s developed as captain of her school’s volleyball team and as a mentor to younger AVID students. Jasmyn will enter Emory University (Atlanta) this fall where she plans to study mathematics.