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by Taylor Whartnaby
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SAN ANTONIO – Throughout the month of February, we will celebrate black history month with a series of people making a difference in the San Antonio community.
We are highlighting how members of The MLK Commission Scholarship Fund are changing lives for the better.
The City of San Antonio’s MLK Commission offers a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr scholarship program to help more people get through college.
“The program started in 2016 and since that year, we have raised over $1.1 million and have worked with hundreds of students, giving scholarships to have access to higher education,” said Program Chair, Dr. Wanita Mercer.
Dr. Wanita Mercer, is the Program Chair for the MLK scholarship.
“We want to touch youth from all walks of life, because at the end of the day, that is Dr. Martin Luther King's legacy, that we will be one, that we will be united people,” she said.
She says it's a role she’s new to but has already seen a need for the program in the community.
“There's still a need to be met beyond that first year. Our scholarships can help them one year or two years. We also give a range of $1,000 to $10,000 as well,” she added.
Dr. Mercer says they received more than 100 applications last year and awarded $155,000 in scholarships between 35 students.
Faina Del Rosario is a past recipient of the scholarship program.
She's pursuing a career in dentistry.
“The scholarship has really helped us alleviate the finances of education, and going forward we're able to carry MLK’s legacy,” said Faina Del Rosario.
Rosario shared the theme of the essay when she applied.
“Together we can be the dream. And so, I talked about MLK’s call to the nation, a call for action. And it's something that we remind ourselves of every day, because we are going to school, because we have this MLK scholarship on our backs, she said.
Now, she's on the committee.
“I get to go through people's stories. And there's that moment when you get to an essay and you understand why they deserve the scholarship, you understand why this should be for them,” she added.
Dr. Wanita Mercer says everyone can participate and give to the scholarship.
The deadline to submit an application for this year is February 24th.
