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Since 1998, the Foundation has been awarding scholarships, first to original Freedom Writers from Ms. G's class and now to first-generation high school graduates who have achieved academic excellence while facing financial and social adversity in their households or communities. This scholarship gives students hope that they will not be forgotten about in college and that their success is imperative not only to themselves but their entire community.
Here are five of the past Freedom Writer Scholarship recipients...
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 Miguel received a scholarship from the Freedom Writers Foundation, which helped him start to tackle a history/international relations degree. Knowing that he has support from the Freedom Writers Foundation has made a huge difference in his college career. In fact, he was so inspired by the Foundation that he joined the Educational Advisory Board in 2010 to give back to the Foundation and to the students it supports. Miguel also actively organizes the scholarship alumni dinners and the Facebook group, which seeks to support all past recipients in their current endeavors.
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 Shaquille's family background, his father's family hails from Trinidad and Tobago and his mother is Venezuelan, has laid the foundation for Shaquille's strong interest in accents and ways in which people communicate. That interest has grown into Shaquille's career choice, and with the help of the Freedom Writers Scholarship program, he was the first in his family to enroll in college and pursue a degree in speech and language pathology. In Shaquille's words, "I understand that wherever I go, I must honor myself with the utmost respect because I represent more than just myself. I represent my community."
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 Minutes after meeting Rathana, I knew he would be chosen to receive a Freedom Writers scholarship. Despite growing up in the inner city, Rathana managed to stay away from gangs, an accomplishment not shared with his siblings. As the youngest member of his family, he witnessed his siblings' poor decisionstake a toll on his mother's health. In fact, his mother's condition has inspired Rathana to pursue a degree in biochemistry. This month, Rathana will achieve his first goal of graduating from high school, and this fall, he will be the first to enroll in college and break his family's cycle. |
 Jimi has heard the powerful story of his family's journey to the United States since he was a small boy. As a first-generation American, born to Khmer Rouge refugees, Jimi understands the power of history and wants to use his family as inspiration to dedicate his life to "improving the world." As Jimi sees it, "the world is in need of engineers," because populations are increasing and new challenges are emerging every day. With help from his uncle, his biggest inspiration, Jimi enrolled in college to become a civil engineer. Along the way, he plans to study foreign languages and travel abroad, to get a better understanding of needs across the globe. |
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 In 2006, original Freedom Writer Kimberlee earned her Bachelor’s degree with the help of the Freedom Writers scholarship and went on to become an editor at a national magazine. She is currently an independent editor, freelance journalist, professional blogger and social media strategist. She continues to work with the Freedom Writers Foundation as an inspirational speaker and copywriter, as well as training teachers via the Freedom Writer Institute.
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