School Days

In 2004, 21 percent of African-American men who did not attend college were incarcerated. By the mid-thirties, six in 10 black men who had dropped out of high school had spent time in prison. For many black men in dire circumstances, higher education seems too far out of reach, an unrealistic pipe dream that they cannot afford. Shayla Price, a 20-year-old student at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is helping to change this dangerous perception with the release of her book, The Scholarship Search: A Guide to Winning Free Money for College and More.

Price, a marketing major from Thibodaux, Louisiana, says she was motivated to help others find college money after her own search produced over $100,000. "It's about helping others,” says Price. "People want to go to college, but there's a financial burden. I like showing people it's possible, because sometimes people believe it's impossible, but I'm an example that it can be done." Price's self-published handbook, released though iUniverse.com, is now selling on BarnesandNoble.com as well, and Price says the well-received book will be in stores soon. "People are learning from it,” she says. "Some don't think to look for scholarships at the Wal-Marts, the Burger Kings and McDonald's or Toyota. There are also scholarships through sororities and fraternities.”

Continue reading this story in the October ‘06 issue of KING (#36)