Nas, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and Hennessy — the cognac company the rapper endorses — have teamed up to help students attend graduate school at an HBCU.
They’re doing so by giving scholarships of up to $20,000 for each academic year, and the money will be for those doing graduate work at an accredited HBCU. Plus, the students will be given a $10,000 yearly stipend for additional expenses related to their studies.
The initiative is called “Hennessy Fellows,” and the cognac company has pledged to give $10 million over the next decade to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to help students pay for their corporate-relevant grad courses, according to the TMCF website.
Recipients will also be provided with corporate training and development, as well as one-on-one executive coaching, access to online training forums and professional networking.
After those interested go through an application process, the program will choose 10 high-performing graduate students each year, and applications have to be turned in on or before Dec. 31, 2019.
The recipients will be announced in 2020, and the scholarship money will be given before the upcoming fall semester. And it’s for anyone who’s attending an accredited HBCU or enrolled in a Predominantly Black Institution graduate program.
“Hennessy’s mantra is all about pushing the limits of one’s potential and breaking down barriers,” said Nas in a press release. “‘Never stop. Never settle’ is more than a slogan. It is the creative engine driving our partnership and the motivational compass directing me to push for new limits every day, in the studio, on the stage and in business.”
“Thurgood Marshall College Fund’s mission of ‘changing the world one leader at a time’ is right in line with pushing those same boundaries,” he added.
By Daryl Nelson of Atlanta Black Star
