Thursday night marked a significant milestone for four Richmond County students as they participated in REACH signing day, a pivotal event for the Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen (REACH) scholarship program.
The program, which is needs-based and begins in the eighth grade, pairs REACH scholars with mentors and academic coaches throughout their high school journey.
This year’s REACH scholars, Ar’quavious Casey from Hornsby Middle, Evelyn Bustamante from Murphy Middle, Ka’mani Green from Richmond Hill Middle and Alexie Pérez from Tutt-Langford Middle, were selected from a pool of 42 applicants.
Program requirements
The students selected to be REACH scholars made a commitment during the signing to maintain good attendance, exemplary behavior and a 2.5 GPA in core courses throughout the rest of their middle and high school careers.
Upon graduation, they will each receive a $10,000 scholarship to any HOPE-eligible institution in Georgia, divided into $2,500 per school year.
The REACH signing day ceremony was filled with excitement and pride as the scholars, accompanied by their families, signed a pledge to uphold their commitment to the program.
Newly appointed interim superintendent Dr. Malinda Cobb delivered remarks, congratulating the scholars on their accomplishments and emphasizing the importance of the REACH program in fostering educational excellence.
“We hope that this opportunity to work with your advisors and your mentors will guide you, inspire you and help you navigate this exciting journey that you have ahead of you,” said Dr. Cobb.
Scholar perspective
REACH Scholar Evelyn Bustamante took a few moments after the ceremony to talk about the significance of this event for her and her academic career.
“I got chosen to be educated, and it’s really special because it’s something that my family always wanted for me,” said Bustamante.
She said she looks forward to having a mentor to guide her along the way.
“I feel like they’re gonna be there every step that I mess up, they’re gonna be there by my side whenever I need anything,” she said.
Bustamante said she’d like to pursue coding in the future.
“I want to go out there and show people what I’m capable of doing,” she said.
The new REACH scholar shared how she found out she’d been selected: she was surprised by her mom and her teachers at school with a celebration.
“It made me feel really special, ‘cause I never got celebrated the way they celebrated me,” she said.
