Barbra Watson-Riley Striving Students Scholarship Program
STEPP Foundation - Supporting Education
The S.T.E.P.P. Foundation and Brand Bank, now Renasant Bank, teamed up in 2017 to create the Barbra Watson-Riley Striving Students Scholarship Program. The groundbreaking program provides college savings accounts and seed money to 6th-grade students at Moore Middle School in Lawrenceville, GA.
Program Details:
- Each account will receive an initial deposit of $50, followed by yearly deposits of at least $25 from grades 7 through 12.
- Students can earn additional college funds by meeting educational goals and benchmarks.
- There is NO limit on the amount of money family members, friends of participating students, or the public can deposit into individual accounts or to the program in general.
Rewards:
Students can earn additional college funds every semester based on incentives for:
- Having a Grade Point Average (G.P.A.) of 2.7 or above at the end of a semester.
- Having an attendance rate of 97% at the end of a semester.
- Having zero discipline infractions at the end of a semester.
- An additional $30 will be deposited in each account after the student and their custodial parent(s) or guardian(s) complete a financial literacy course (online or in person). Students are required to take the course in 6th grade and again in 11th grade. The parent(s) or guardian(s) of each student will be required to take the course before the student graduates from high school or obtains a G.E.D.
Requirements
Students can monitor the balance of their college savings account, but the funds accumulated cannot be accessed or used until after the financial literacy course requirement has been met, and they graduate from high school or obtain a G.E.D. Once those requirements are met, the funds can only be used for the following:
- College classes
- Nursing school
- Trade school
- Post-secondary education classes
- Cosmetology school
- Approved accreditation classes or courses
- Approved expenses related to the aforementioned schools and courses
Program Goals:
- Make post-secondary education more financially viable for participating students.
- Obtain a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.5 for scholarship program participants at the end of each school year
- Maintain a 97% attendance rate
- Reduce discipline infractions
- Complete student and parent financial literacy course Measuring Program Success
Measuring Program Success:
- A summary of progress toward achievement of the program goals will be reported at the end of each school year.
A 2013 study conducted at Washington University in St. Louis found that students from low-income families with $1 to $499 in college savings are 2.5 times more likely to enroll in college. If those same students have $500 in college savings, they are three times more likely to enroll in college and four times more likely to graduate from college than students with no college savings.*
The S.T.E.P.P. Foundation believes every child should have the opportunity to attend college or obtain a post-high school education, and the Barbra Watson-Riley Striving Students Scholarship Program will provide them with that opportunity.
“A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very special.”
― Nelson Mandela
Help create someone “very special” by making a financial contribution to the Barbra Watson-Riley Striving Students Scholarship Program and the lives of young people who deserve a chance for a better life. All donations are tax-deductible.
*Small-Dollar Children's Savings Accounts, Income and College Outcomes: George Warren School of Social Work, Washington University.
