FAMU kicked off its third annual “Up Close and Personal” state tour in Tallahassee Sunday, awarding scholarships totaling nearly $1.5 million.Bethel Missionary Baptist Church in Tallahassee was the first stop of the tour, and was followed by a reception later in the day i in the FAMU Grand Ballroom where nearly 250 area students attended.
“We are in the process of providing hope during these tough economic times,” Ammons said. “We are pleased with the number of students who qualify for our presidential scholarships.”
In Tallahassee, Ammons awarded $879,000 in scholarships to 33 potential students, including three Life Gets Better (LBG) Scholarships worth $85,000 each. LGB scholarships were awarded to Megan E.D. Treadwell, of Lawton Chiles High School; Lindsay P. Baker, of Leon High School and Carissa G. Redmon. The LGB scholarship also includes a laptop computer, annual stipend and a summer internship.
The tour then traveled to Thomasville, Ga. on Sunday evening. Shinequa Revills of Westover High School in Albany said she was shocked when awarded the LGB scholarship. She was one of 12 students awarded scholarships totaling $578,000 during the reception at Thomas County Central High School.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” said Revills. “It’s great!”
Her mother Andrea Revills said the family had purchased a condominium in Florida, hoping to claim residency because her daughter had a strong desire to be a part of the Marching “100.” She only applied to Georgia Southern University and Albany State University, noted her father Apostle Felix Revills, who is a graduate of Albany State University, along with his wife. Shinequa said she was interested in enrolling there also.
“If Shinequa worked hard and prepared herself for this opportunity, we would not hold her back because of a family tradition,” said Felix Revills.
FAMU’s tour also includes receptions in Jacksonville on Monday and Tampa on Tuesday, in addition to a visit to Jones High School in Orlando. About 50 students accompanied Ammons on the tour including members of the FAMU Connection, a group of students who tell FAMU’s story through song and dance.
FAMU budgeted about $35,000 for the tour, which will come from private funds.