Stay focused in school and get as much education as possible.That is the advice Florida A&M University President James Ammons gave to the six Pensacola students who received $1,000 scholarships from the Pensacola alumni chapter during a scholarship banquet there last night.
"When you come to Florida A&M, one of the first things we'll talk with you about is getting advanced degrees because the competition out there is so tough," Ammons told the students. "It's tougher now than most of us have seen in our lifetime. You have to distinguish yourselves."
About 200 people attended the fourth annual scholarship banquet.
Scholarship recipient Halle Woods, 18, plans to move to Tallahassee to study allied health and physical therapy at FAMU in the fall.
"I really didn't expect to get it," the Escambia High School graduate said. "This is going to (partially) pay for room and board (for one semester)."
Jamiliya Gainey, 20, who will be a junior at FAMU in the fall, will use her scholarship money to pay for textbooks. She received a special scholarship sponsored by local alumna Mary Parker Abernathy.
"I made the right choice in the school I'm going to," Gainey said. "They support their students, and they want you to be there."
Chapter President Bill Byrd said the banquet's purpose is to raise money for future scholarship winners — half of each $50 ticket goes toward scholarships — and to recruit new members.
Read the full article here at the Pensacola News Journal.