DECATUR, Ga.—Ten students enrolled in the summer Perimeter Academy program at Georgia State University’s Decatur Campus were named State Farm Scholars for the fall 2018 semester.
State Farm Scholars at Perimeter College receive up to $4,000 each year and leadership training. Included are opportunities for professional development, workshops on money management, resume writing and job interviews and experience mentoring local high school students.
The selected students kept a GPA of at least 3.0 during the summer semester.
“This scholarship means the world to me,” said Darius Williams, who was surprised when he received news he would be a recipient.
The 2018 Columbia High School graduate works the “twilight” shift at the UPS facility on Fulton Industrial Boulevard after finishing classes at the Decatur Campus.
“I felt like I wanted a smaller experience like the Academy to get more engaged with my professors, and the material would be easier to understand,” the aspiring electrical engineer said.
Lillian Weinstein graduated from North Springs High School and learned about Perimeter Academy during a college fair.
“I knew I didn’t get as much as I could have gotten out of high school … ,” she said. “I saw this (Perimeter Academy) as an opportunity to kick-start my college education and get the guidance I needed.”
Weinstein, who often rides MARTA more than an hour and a half to get to class, works part time at Chick-Fil-A.
“The scholarship will help me focus more on my studies, and I won’t have to work as much,” she said.
The State Farm Scholars were surprised with the announcement of their awards during a brief ceremony led recently by Amanda Emery, coordinator of the Perimeter Academy program.
“We saw how hard you worked and how you engaged with the program,” Emery told the students. “Your perseverance really stood out.”
The new State Farm Scholars are:
Marcell Brown
Nicole Majagira
Anthony Sisson
Lillian Weinstein
Ana’ya Whitaker
Darius Williams
Tariyana Jones
Tiayana Freeman
Erica Abdur-Rahim
Dasha King
There are 74 students currently enrolled in the Academy at Perimeter College. The program is a three-semester, extended-learning community on Georgia State’s Decatur Campus.
Students start their college classes in the summer and receive academic skill workshops, peer mentoring, tutoring and social and networking events, including service opportunities.
The program is modeled after the Success Academy at Georgia State’s Atlanta Campus, with slight modifications for the two-year students. Most of the students are the first in their families to attend college.