Higher education is of vast importance to some. We need to work harder as a community to turn that some into most, then eventually “all.” There are certain obstacles that we face in trying to promote higher education and make it’s pursuance appealing. A major factor in deciding whether or not to obtain a higher degree is funding. Funding can come in various forms; students are provided with financial aid based upon need, scholarships, parent’s money, and grants. But what happens when a student enrolls in school and cannot afford to finish because of the high cost of education? What happens when a student cannot continue a semester because they cannot afford to pay $1000 for an unpaid tuition bill? Mea Boykins has figured out a way to alleviate this burden and the Experience Blog is enthused to share this approach with our readers.

[media-credit id=1 align="alignnone" width="720"][/media-credit]The Student Emergency Assistance Organization, Inc (S.E.A.) was established by Mea Boykins, a Spelman alumna C’11. S.E.A. was created to assist juniors and seniors at Spelman College who have exhausted all of their financial resources, including grants, loans, scholarships, work income, and family contribution, thus placing them at risk for expulsion. S.E.A. aims to raise the funds that are necessary to keep these students in school so that their academic goals can be achieved. The requirements to be a recipient of S.E.A. include a minimum GPA of 3.0 and community service involving women’s empowerment and uplifting the youth. Thus far, S.E.A. has awarded three scholarships in the amount of $2,500 to Stephany Tomlinson, C’12, Sascha Betts C’12, and to an alumna, Ashley Cousins, C’11. S.E.A. is consistently seeking corporate and individual donors.

We like this idea of a student emergency fund. We believe this should be a model for many colleges and universities across the U.S. Why not make students work harder for the money they are in need of? Why not have some funds set aside to help those in need?

Donate:

If interested in donating to the Student Emergency Assistance Scholarship Fund you may mail in a check or money order to the following address:

Spelman College

Institutional Advancement

350 Spelman Lane, SW Box 1303

Atlanta, Ga 30314

You may also donate securely on the Spelman web page by clicking the following link:

[S.E.A.] Student Emergency Assistance Scholarship Fund

Under the heading “Giving to Spelman” select the make a gift option. Please designate the S.E.A. Scholarship on the memo line of your payment. Please specify S.E.A. Scholarship in “Other” tab. Any donation $5 or more will receive an official tax-recipt, and gift acknowledgement from Spelman College. Thanks for taking time to invest in education and changing other’s lives!

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