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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — African American students face the lowest graduation rates among all racial and ethnic groups in the country, according to the United Negro College Fund. The low numbers are often due to the high costs of college and a lack of support systems.
A local organization in Tucson is tackling this challenge head-on, offering a lifeline to students with dreams of higher education.
The Legacy of Excellence Scholarship was founded 15 years ago by Jeffrey Sawyer, along with the Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) and the city’s business community. The program aims to bridge the gap by providing financial and practical support to African American students.
The program selects recipients based on academic performance and community impact, awarding nearly $9,000 per student for tuition, laptops, books and other essentials. It has helped around 70 students over the years with help from over 1,000 donors.
“The motivation to start the program was seeing students who were being passed over for scholarships even though they met all the qualifications,” Sawyer said.
The program seeks to combat declining college enrollment among African American students, which has dropped nearly 7% since 2020, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
Sawyer says that money is often the make-or-break factor in whether these students can graduate college.
“The funding sources aren’t there and therefore they have to leave the institutions,” Sawyer said. “Once we are able to make certain that those funding streams are there, our students usually will perform and graduate from college.”
He says that Legacy of Excellence recipients have an 80% college graduation rate, well above the U.S. average of 64%. Recipients have gone on to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Ivy League schools, along with private and public universities.
Some of these students have become doctors, lawyers, nurses, social workers and teachers, according to Sawyer.
One of the scholarship’s success stories is Katelyn Kubly. A former recipient, Kubly discovered her passion for law during a mock trial at Saguaro High School.
However, her path to college was not straightforward.
“Neither of my parents had gone to college, no one in my family had,” she said. “I didn’t even know I really needed to start thinking about it. I had dreams but didn’t know how to make them happen.”
As her junior year progressed, financial and logistical roadblocks loomed.
“I didn’t have a laptop that worked,” Kubly recalled. “I had all these dreams, but no one to help me. It felt really hopeless.”
That’s when she found the Legacy of Excellence Scholarship. Kubly described the impact it had on her life.
“It was a major turning point for me because it was finally someone saying, ‘I see you. I hear you,” she said. “And I believe in you so much that I’m going to put some money behind it and help you out.’”
Sawyer recalled when Kubly first came to his attention.
“There are so many qualities concerning Katelyn that drew us to her and also drew her to us,” Sawyer said. “Just a stellar student and her letters of recommendation were fantastic.”
Applicants must be a TUSD student and maintain a weighted 3.2-grade point average. Along with scholastic attainment, the scholarship chooses students based on other factors, such as community involvement. Two letters of recommendation must be provided from a school official and a reference of the student’s choice.
The organization’s committee, made of community members, business leaders and educators, chooses which students receive the scholarship.
“We don’t just look at G.P.A.,” Sawyer said. “We look at the whole body of work.”
The support helped Kubly graduate from Arizona State University. This month, she took another monumental step, gaining acceptance to Georgetown Law School.
She still awaits more acceptance letters and hasn’t made a decision yet on where she will attend in the Fall.
“There are just so many students like me just waiting for an opportunity,” she said.
Applications for the Legacy of Excellence Scholarship are now open and will close on January 17.
The organization runs entirely on donations, with zero government funding. Legacy of Excellence will hold its annual fundraiser on May 3 at the Westin La Paloma.
Sawyer implores community members to help these students with their wallets.
“If you’re going to give a gift, give away a gift of education,” he says. “It’s the most important thing that you can do.”
Donations can be made through the Educational Enrichment Foundation.
To apply for the Legacy of Excellence Scholarship or learn more, visit the organization’s website.
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