July 26th 2023.
When Amir Staten received his acceptance letter from Morehouse College, his mother was overcome with emotion. She had seen her son work towards this goal for years, and his hard work was paying off. Now, Staten has another reason to celebrate - he has secured a four-year full-ride scholarship to the prestigious HBCU.
This summer, Staten was selected to be one of 15 Bonner Scholars, a community service-focused scholarship program that would cover the $51,000 tuition at Morehouse. During his high school years, Staten had remained on the honor roll and was the captain of the basketball team, while also completing over 120 hours of community service. His mother, Karlynne Staten, said, "He has gone above and beyond of what is expected of him. Now he can kind of breathe easy."
According to Good Morning America, Staten will have to maintain a 2.5 grade point average and complete 10 hours of community service per week to maintain his place as a Bonner Scholar. As an added bonus, he and the other scholarship recipients will travel to the Dominican Republic during their senior year to work in an orphanage.
Morehouse College Vice President and Dean Kevin Booker saw Staten's enthusiasm for the college and was moved by it. He said, "We develop student leaders and we start immediately. It doesn’t happen after they graduate. And some of those student leaders selected Amir because they see in him what’s needed to be a man of Morehouse, and eventually a Morehouse man.”
Further, Booker noted that Staten's viral video didn't play a role in his selection, but Booker was impressed with Staten's joy and eagerness to be a part of the legacy of the institution. Booker said, "As a Morehouse College alum, as a Morehouse College dad—my son just graduated—and an administrator, there is no better feeling for me than seeing a young man like Amir, who hasn’t even walked these grounds [as a student] yet but feels what this college can do for him. He realizes that and wants to be a part of that history, and the history is long. We want Amir to be amongst the ranks of the great men who have come before him.”
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