New York, NY – May 2, 2022 – Today, iMentor and KIPP, a network of public charter schools, announce the 2022 recipients of the Amplify Scholarship Program, which provides KIPP students and alumni with support in the transition to college. Each Amplify Scholar will receive mentorship, professional development and $60,000 to cover a range of expenses not traditionally covered by college-based financial aid. This video captures the moment students received the news they had been selected for the scholarship.
“This program brings me so much joy because I believe in the power of mentorship,” said Richard Barth, CEO of the KIPP Foundation. “Our students have the talent to thrive in whatever career paths they choose and our partnership with iMentor allows them to focus on their professional goals without worrying about the financial burden of non-tuition expenses. The Amplify Scholarship is modeling the transformative impact mentorship can have on the lives of young people with access to build lasting relationships.”
The 15 recipients of the 2022 Amplify Scholarship have attended KIPP schools in nine communities including: Colorado, Massachusetts, Northern California, New York City, Texas, Washington DC, Columbus, Philadelphia, and Southern California. All of the recipients are students of color and many will be the first in their families to attend college. Any student who attended a KIPP school for either middle or high school and had above a 3.0 GPA was eligible to apply for the Amplify Scholarship.
“The talented young people in this Amplify class inspire me with their leadership, their perseverance, and their excellence,” said Heather Wathington, iMentor CEO. “At iMentor, we see each day how mentoring relationships have the power to transform individual lives, and we are eager for our scholars to achieve their highest aspirations with the financial andmentorship support of the Amplify Scholarship. We need their voices and ideas to shape our world; we need them to lead our communities to meet tomorrow’s challenges.”
iMentor will work closely with staff from the KIPP Forward program to ensure scholars are building the knowledge, skills and mindsets necessary to thrive in college and beyond. While in college, Amplify scholars will receive guidance from an iMentor program manager, work one-on-one with a volunteer mentor who will support scholars through their educational and professional pathways, and benefit from the iMentor community to learn about summer internships, scholarship stipends, and career opportunities.
About KIPP
KIPP, the Knowledge Is Power Program, is a national network of 270 public charter schools that are dedicated to preparing students in educationally underserved communities for success in college and life. KIPP schools are part of the free public school system and enrollment is open to all students. Started in 1994 as a middle school program, KIPP has since expanded to enroll students in all grades from pre-K through high school.
About iMentor
iMentor builds mentoring relationships that empower first-generation students to graduate high school, succeed in college and career, and achieve their ambitions. iMentor was founded in 1999 by John Griffin, Richard Buery and Matt Klein. Launched with just 49 students in a single school in the South Bronx, iMentor has served nearly 40,000 students since its founding in 1999 through direct-service programs in Baltimore, the Bay Area, Chicago, and New York City, and through partnerships with local non-profit organizations that implement the iMentor model in communities across the country.
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