This is what scholarships actually do

Last year, Miss Juneteenth 2025, Jakeya Bennon, started her first semester at North Carolina A&T as an out of state student.

Let’s tell the truth. College is expensive. Life is expensive. And “you’ll figure it out” is not a financial plan.

Jakeya told me her first semester tuition alone was $16,600. That number is not inspiring. It is heavy. It is real. And for a lot of students, it is the reason they delay school, drop classes, or carry stress that steals their focus before they ever open a textbook.

But here’s what made me proud.

She was adjusting to being away from home, learning independence, and still came back with midterm grades of four A’s and one C+, and she was already grinding to raise the math grade because math has always been her challenge. That is determination. That is a student refusing to fold.

And when she told us what the scholarship did, it was not abstract. It was practical.

It helped cover tuition and fees, including meals, housing, and most of her books. She was also able to get an Apple computer she uses for class work.

That is what YOUR giving does.

It does not “make someone feel good.” It makes sure a student can eat. It helps keep a roof over their head. It puts books in their hands. It puts a laptop on the desk so they can actually do the work.

We need to crown our young scholars for the future.

We are raising scholarship dollars to award educational scholarships to Mr. and Miss Juneteenth 2026. Two student leaders. Two futures. Two crowns that deserve more than a photo op.

If you believe in hope with receipts, give today.
If you believe in determination being met with support, give today.
If you believe we should stop clapping for students and start backing them, give today.

Let’s crown the future with real help.

Juneteenth GVL exists to meet the needs of Mr and Miss Juneteenth with dignity, structure, and community partnership.

We are five years in; and we are still here because people decided this work was worth backing.

Our goal is to raise $15,000 by March 31, 2026 to help fund educational scholarships for Mr. and Miss Juneteenth 2026. Two student leaders. Two futures. Two crowns that deserve more than a photo moment.

Now we are inviting you to do the same.

April

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