Page 11 - 2022 SCHOLARSHIP AWARD E-BOOK1_Spread

MESSAGE TO SOUTHFIELD KAPPA FOUNDATION

CLASS OF 2022 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

Marvis Burns

• Partner at Sprout Capital Co & Founder of Rent Scene Co

• Wharton MBA ‘14, Cornell University Hotel School B.S., ‘09

• Author of an Amazon best seller, ”Insiders Guide to a Free Ride”
• Marvis was a 4-year Southfield Kappa Scholarship Recipient

The Southfield Kappa Foundation Scholarship was the first scholarship I

received. I’m so thankful for the opportunity, because I learned so much going
through the process. College affordability is the number one reason students of
color don’t matriculate. I began Cornell without those financial pressures and

consequently flourished in other areas: leadership positions, completed a
semester abroad, and participated in countless experiences that I alone could

not afford.

The Southfield Kappa Foundation’s Board went beyond just giving me a
monetary reward, they provided mentorship, coaching, and a safe space of

sorts that helped me find strength in vulnerability. As a recipient of their
wonderful scholarship, I will forever be indebted and thankful for the
investment that took place over 4 years. It was refreshing to have this resource

and a continuous reminder that no one does it all alone. I am a first generation
college graduate and the biproduct of others generosity and my own tenacity.

College propelled me into many rooms that once were closed, and a lot of this

feels possible given the SKF’s efforts

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