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KC Scholars, Avila Surprise 17 KCPS Students with Full Rides

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Two students hold Avila shirts up against a Paseo backdrop. Everyone is smiling.

Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts students Hadiyah Bayan and Tee Shaw Paw were among 17 KCPS students recognized by KC Scholars and Avila University on Tuesday, Nov. 2, 2022. They are pictured here with Avila University President Dr. James Burkee and KC Scholars Chief Operating Officer Natalie Lewis. You'll find more photos from Tuesday's assembly on Flickr.
 

Seventeen KCPS seniors received life-changing news on Tuesday: Avila University in partnership with KC Scholars had awarded them full-ride scholarships.

Avila and KC Scholars made the announcement at an assembly at Paseo Academy for Fine and Performing Arts. Founded in 2016, KC Scholars is a nonprofit that provides scholarships for college, as well as wrap-around services and support designed to increase the college and career success rate for low- and moderate-income students. This year, KC Scholars received more than 1,300 applications for 400 scholarships.

When it became apparent that there were far more qualified students than scholarships, Avila University stepped up, announcing a $130 million partnership to provide an additional 100 scholarships. And when 220 students expressed interest in Avila when asked by KC Scholars, Avila decided to award scholarships to all of them.

“It was an easy decision for us to double our original commitment," Avila University President Dr. James Burkee said. "Avila was founded on the values of inclusion and diversity, and we cannot wait to welcome these new Scholars to our campus next year.”

On Tuesday, KC Scholars and Avila University surprised students at Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts High School during an assembly. In total, 17 KCPS students received good news from KC Scholars and Avila this week:

 

CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL

Princess Awulonu

 

EAST HIGH SCHOOL

Karla Martinez

 

LINCOLN COLLEGE PREP

Jacqueline Lechuga

Jaqueline Marquez

Dettsinia Roche McGrone

 

PASEO

Breeann Boone

Hadiyah Bayan

Tee Shaw Paw

 

SOUTHEAST

Laila Stevenson

 

EARLY COLLEGE ACADEMY

Javier Barrientos

Kee Hernandez

Sebastian Ramirez

Bryan Ricoy Ortiz

Devin Thai Dinh

Ker Za

 

EVENING ACADEMY

Joel Fernandez

 

KANSAS CITY VIRTUAL ACADEMY

Stephanie Burks

 

"We are thrilled to be able to award over 200 more students these college scholarships to pursue their dreams in life," said Natalie Lewis, Chief Operating Officer for KC Scholars. "Through one scholarship at a time, KC Scholars is positively impacting the Kansas City region’s economy and workforce."

We are so proud of our students for their awesome achievement! Thank you, KC Scholars and Avila University, for your support of our students!