Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 9-24-19

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Billionaire Robert F. Smith Pays As Promised:
Morehouse Class Of 2019 Is Debt Free
Gift to pay off six types of education loans, including Parent Plus Loans
ATLANTA — Robert F. Smith, the Founder, Chair- man and CEO of Vista Equity Partners, and his family have donated $34 mil- lion to the new Morehouse College Student Success Pro- gram to pay off the loans that students and parents of the Class of 2019 accumulated to fund a Morehouse education.
The Morehouse Student Success Program is a scholar- ship, loan debt, research and educational initiative estab- lished by the Board of Trustees as a national invest- ment strategy to curb student loan debt and help graduates to prosper faster.
Under the new initiative, Morehouse will solicit and accept donations made specifically to reduce or elim- inate the student loan debt of Morehouse Men and their parents or guardians, thus creating an opportunity for greater financial freedom for new alumni and their fami-
Robert F. Smith received an honorary doctorate degree at the May graduation; pledged to pay off the debts of the entire class of 2019.
lies.
The history-making grant
from Mr. Smith, who an- nounced his intention to make this grant when he re- ceived an honorary doctorate from Morehouse in May, will ease the financial strain on the Class of 2019, the billionaire’s “classmates.”
The $34 million contribu- tion to the Morehouse Stu- dent Success Program will benefit the new alumni by al- lowing them to pursue ad- vanced degrees, start careers, and build wealth without being tethered to undergra-
duate loan debt related to Morehouse.
“This liberation gift from Robert Smith — the first of its kind to be announced at a graduation in higher educa- tion — will be life-changing for our new Morehouse Men and their families,” said David A. Thomas, Presi- dent of Morehouse College.
More than 400 students, parents, and guardians of the Class of 2019 will receive Morehouse’s inaugural gift under the Student Success Program.
High School Football Player Passes
Out On Field
JAQUEZ WELCH
A St. Petersburg high school football player in Florida collapsed on the field during a game Friday. He re- mains in the intensive care unit of a local hospital on life support.
Jacquez Welch, a senior football captain at Northeast High School, didn’t get up after a tackle during Friday night’s game, His mother, Marcia Nelson, was at the game and watched it happen.
"It was a group tackle. Everybody got up. He got up a little slow and he didn't get back up," she told the televi- sion station. Paramedics rushed Welch to the hospital.
Once there, doctors dis- covered the 17-year-old was suffering from severe bleeding on the brain from a preexist- ing condition, Coach Je- remy Frioud said.
Doctors reportedly said Welch had a brain arteriove- nous malformation, a rare tangle of abnormal blood ves- sels connecting arteries and veins, according to the Mayo Clinic.
A brain arteriovenous mal- formation may not cause any symptoms until it ruptures, but some signs can include seizures, headache or pain in one area of the head, muscle weakness or numbness in one part of the body, vision loss, severe unsteadiness and diffi- culty speaking.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9