VIDEO: College funds raised for Rouses employee who helped teen with autism: report

VIDEO: College funds raised for Rouses employee who helped teen with autism: report

A Rouses employee in Baton Rouge was surprised with a free car Monday morning (Aug. 6), days after the employee let a teen with autism help him stock shelves in the store, Fox 44 Baton Rouge reports.

Jordan Taylor was stocking shelves of orange juice one day when Jack Ryan Edwards and his father came across Taylor. A video that has gone viral shows Taylor patiently teaching Edwards how to stock those shelves for roughly 30 minutes, Fox 44 reported.

With Taylor’s kindness in mind, Neighbors FCU President and CEO Steve Webb acknowledged Taylor during the Central Community School System Convocation Monday. Fox 44 reported that Neighbors worked with “community partners” to provide Taylor with his own new vehicle.

Taylor’s actions also spurred the Edwards family to create a GoFundMe account to raise $100,000 for Taylor’s college tuition. In five days, more than 3,300 people have donated $115,485 as of Monday afternoon.

Read and watch the full story at the Fox 44 website.

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Wilborn P. Nobles III is an education reporter based in New Orleans. He can be reached at wnobles@nola.com or on Twitter at @WilNobles.

College of Charleston Athletics Scholarships Named in Honor of Trailblazing Alumnus Otto German

College of Charleston Athletics Scholarships Named in Honor of Trailblazing Alumnus Otto German

On the bookshelf behind his desk in his third-floor office in TD Arena, Otto German ’73 has two framed photos on a shelf. Perhaps a man’s life can’t be summed up in a couple of photos, but these two come pretty close.

The first is a portrait of German and his late wife and partner of 51 years, Albertha, who passed away at the end of December 2017. He still remembers the exact day they met: June 20, 1966.

“We had a pretty unique relationship,” he says, looking at her image. “It was never all about her, it was never all about me. It was about a union and a promise that we made to each other.”

The other photo is a group shot from 2008 of the 40th anniversary celebration of the integration of the College of Charleston. German is pictured with other trailblazers like Eddie Ganaway ’71, the College’s first black graduate; Carrie Nesbitt Gibbs ’72, the first black female graduate; Fred Daniels, the former men’s basketball coach and admissions director; Lucille Simmons Whipper, the first black administrator; Marvin Dulaney, a former history professor and Avery Research Center executive director; Remus Harper ‘72, the first black scholarship athlete; and former presidents Ted Stern and P. George Benson, among others.

“I was honored to be a part of something new to the College,” he says. “But here we are 10 years later [from anniversary photo] and there’s still work to do when we look at diversity across the board in all areas of the College.”

German, who became the second black scholarship athlete after Harper for the 1970-71 season during his sophomore year at the College, knows the importance scholarships can play in a young athlete’s life. So, he couldn’t be more grateful that the Alumni Association Board of Directors during its meeting on June 15, 2018, voted to rename the association’s two athletic scholarships the Otto B. German ’73 Endowed Alumni Scholarships in Athletics.

“I’m humbled and honored that my fellow alums think that much of me,” says German, 67, who also serves as the president of the College’s Black Alumni Council. “That is better than being in the Athletics Hall of Fame.”

After graduating in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in education, German went to work at the College in financial aid, student activities and admissions before moving over to the athletics department, where he has been for 26 years, rising to the post of associate director of athletics/NCAA compliance.

Read the full article on The Chronicle.

This article was originally published in The College Today.

First Choice Member Scholarship Applications Due March 5

First Choice Member Scholarship Applications Due March 5

First Choice by Select Health of South Carolina is offering two scholarships to qualified applicants who are furthering their education or pursuing a second career in 2018. The 8th annual First Choice member scholarship program is open to all First Choice members. Applications are due by March 5, 2018. Select Health offers the First Choice Medicaid health plan to South Carolina residents and is part of the AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies.

The First Choice member scholarship program began in 2010 when Select Health pledged $200,000 over 10 years through its Caring10 initiative. Applications and complete information about this scholarship program are available at www.selecthealthofsc.com/community/member-scholarship.aspx.

“Helping just one person pursue a college education can uplift an entire family, or even a community,” said Rebecca Engelman, market president at Select Health. “We’re always excited to receive scholarship applications because there are so many First Choice members excelling in school and doing wonderful things in life.”

Eleven individual recipients have benefited from this scholarship, including several repeat winners. Four winners have hailed from Columbia, with one each from Boiling Springs, Gaffney, Kingstree, Simpsonville, Summerville, Sumter and Timmonsville. Winning applicants have attended schools including Charleston Southern University, Claflin University, Clemson University, Coastal Carolina University, Emmanuel College, Francis Marion University, Limestone College, the University of South Carolina, the University of South Carolina-Aiken and Winthrop University.

In addition to this collegiate scholarship program, First Choice by Select Health also supports education through its summer internship program for qualifying college students as well as its new General Education Development (GED) and Reading Assistance programs for First Choice plan members.

Visit www.selecthealthofsc.com or call 1-888-276-2020 for more information.

Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge Senior Scholarship

Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge Senior Scholarship

Registration is ongoing for a scholarship that offers Iowa high school seniors a chance to receive one of 30 scholarships worth $2,000 for college while learning important financial literacy skills.

In addition, each recipient’s high school will receive a corresponding $500 award.

High school seniors may register for the Iowa Financial Know-How Challenge: Senior Scholarship between now and Feb. 16. Iowa Student Loan® will award $2,000 scholarships to 30 students who complete two online financial literacy tutorials and score highest on a related assessment. Registered students also receive emails highlighting financial literacy tips, such as the importance of early career and college planning and ways to reduce student loan indebtedness. For more information go here.

Wisconsin Math Talent Search

Wisconsin Math Talent Search

Ready for a math challenge?

The Wisconsin Mathematics, Engineering, and Science Talent Search is an annual competition for middle and high school students from Wisconsin. The organizers create five problem sets each consisting of five unusual and challenging math problems. The solution of these problems does not require advanced mathematical knowledge, just hard work and creativity. The participants have one month to work on each problem set and can send in their solutions via email or regular mail.

Top problem solvers will be invited to participate in the Honors Day Celebration in May, 2018 and will be eligible to compete in the Van Vleck Scholarship. The scholarship will pay $6,000 per year for four years at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

The first problem set is now available online. Please visit the Talent Search website to access the problems and additional information. If you have any questions about the Talent Search, feel free to contact the organizers at talent@math.wisc.edu.