Miami-Dade College is launching a scholars program for minority students. The new Rising Black Scholar Program aims to help students to get a head start on their education.
“Many black students, they do not have access to internships or scholarship opportunities, or even education,” said Angelo Douillon, student.
Angelo is a sophomore at Miami-Dade College and is excited about the new program for students of color.
“I believe that this initiative will serve as an incentive for students to pursue whatever dream that they have, whether it’s a doctor or a lawyer, this will be a jump start to their education,” said Angelo.
The program has room for 100 students starting in June.
“For our black students, their graduation rate was less than those of Hispanic decent or ethnicity and we wanted to immediately to look at ways that we can close the gap in terms of access for black students and in terms of retention and completion,” said Malou Harrison, MDC'S Executive VP and Provost.
Malou says students will receive free tuition for up to two years, book stipends for each term, a laptop and scholarship opportunities.
“Peer mentors, student success coaches, tutors, advisers, really a care team that will be there to see our students forward on their trajectory on their journey throughout their time at Miami-Dade College is key and it’s absolutely necessary,” said Malou.
Malou says the black student population at Miami-Dade College is at only 15%. She hopes the program will change that.
“This is one of the goals of the Rising Black Scholars Program, how do we lift up the black community overall, in our community here in South Florida, by providing educational opportunities to those that are graduating from high school that want to and need to continue through trajectory through higher education,” added Malou.
As for Angelo’s career goals, he hopes to work in law enforcement. Angelo will be using his experience at MDC to mentor incoming students.
“I will be persuading students to join SGA, be an effective member in their community and not just a student on their campus but in their communities,” added Angelo.
Students can call 305-237-8888 or click here for more information and to apply. The deadline to apply is April 5th.
