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Mayor Marty Small Sr. announces this year’s recipients of the Mayor Marty Small Sr. scholarship Tuesday at Atlantic City High School.
Councilwoman Stephanie Marshall praises this year’s scholarship winners. “I was tearing up while I was reading some of the essays,” she said.
Evan Johnson shakes hands with Mayor Marty Small Sr. after being named one of the recipients of a Mayor Marty Small Sr. scholarship during a ceremony Tuesday at Atlantic City High School. Williams will attend Rowan University.
ATLANTIC CITY — Kayla Hart initially thought she was being pranked when Mayor Marty Small Sr. called to inform her she was one of the recipients of his annual scholarship.
“I was a little nervous because I wasn’t sure who was calling,” said Hart, who will be attending North Carolina Central University in the fall. “Then when he (Small) said it was him, I think I started laughing because I’m a nervous person so that was just my natural reaction.”
Hart was among 45 Atlantic City High School students who received part of $1 million in scholarships this year as part of the Mayor Marty Small Sr. Scholarship. Small and members of the scholarship committee gathered the students in the school’s library Tuesday to recognize each winner.
“This is the second year of this scholarship,” Small said. “Last year we gave away $1 million, this year we gave away $1 million and next year we’ll give away the last $1 million. We wanted to address the educational disparities here in the city and provide our future leaders with the opportunity to succeed by going to the next level in college.”
Small announced the scholarship last May. It is funded by American Rescue Plan money.
The scholarship program was open to graduating seniors, current college students, current graduate students and prospective trade school students who live in the resort or graduated from the high school. The process involved submitting a resume, a high school transcript, an essay and two letters of recommendation.
“I was tearing up while I was reading some of the essays,” said Councilwoman Stephanie Marshall, who is also a part of the 14-member scholarship committee. “We have some great students here, and I look forward to seeing what they’ll do for their community after graduating college.”
Of the 99 winners, 45 were high school seniors, 45 were college students in their sophomore, junior or senior years, and nine were pursuing a graduate degree.
To address educational disparities in the city, Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small Sr. announced Wednesday that $1 million in scholarship funds will be available to city high school graduates for the second year in a row.
The college and graduate winners will be provided with details about their scholarship in the coming days.
The Battle by the Bay organization also will provide $1,000 to 10 additional high school students after partnering with Small’s program.
All scholarship recipients will receive $5,000 for each semester next school year. The funds go directly to the university, said the city’s chief financial officer, Toro Aboderin.
“This is a great opportunity; $10,000 is significant,” Aboderin said. “There aren’t a lot of scholarships out there that give this kind of money. We’re glad to do it under the direction of the mayor.”
Small told the scholarship winners to never forget where they came from and to give back to the community no matter where life takes them.
“If you want to go explore, go explore,” Small said. “But we want the children we educated in this school system to come home and make a difference. I did it when I went to college, I came right back home. In the past, there has been talk from students who went to college and didn’t come back because there weren’t any opportunities for them. That is not happening under this administration. Some students will be hired into full-time positions after graduation. There will always be opportunities in this city.”
Tim Tran, who will be attending Rutgers University, said the funds provide a significant cut to his tuition.
“It means a lot for my family’s financial burden,” Tran said. “It takes my tuition down from $19,000 to $9,000. It’s going to help with my room and board, and it will help my brother get through school as well. Its just a good thing for my family overall.”
The first recipients of the Atlantic City “Mayor Marty Small Sr. Scholarship” received their $10,000 checks in a ceremony Wednesday at City Hall.
Evan Johnson will be attending Rowan University and said the scholarship will allow him to impact the community.
“I get to fulfill my dreams and go to college,” Johnson said. “My family and I are extremely grateful to Mayor Small because it will help the financial burden. I’m going to use this to give back to the community.”
Twitter @acpressoconnor
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Mayor Marty Small Sr. announces this year’s recipients of the Mayor Marty Small Sr. scholarship Tuesday at Atlantic City High School.
Councilwoman Stephanie Marshall praises this year’s scholarship winners. “I was tearing up while I was reading some of the essays,” she said.
Evan Johnson shakes hands with Mayor Marty Small Sr. after being named one of the recipients of a Mayor Marty Small Sr. scholarship during a ceremony Tuesday at Atlantic City High School. Williams will attend Rowan University.
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