Despite the unprecedented circumstances facing college students during the coronavirus pandemic, the Chicago Football Classic said it will continue to award area students with scholarships to help them attend Historically Black Colleges.
Twenty Chicago students are set to receive $5,000 scholarships and free laptops from the program.
“Without question, scholarships matter particularly during this highly unpredictable season in the lives of students, families and institutions,” Everett Rand, co-founder of CFC, said in a statement. “While historically our annual college/career fair, epic football game featuring spirited rivalries and the ever-so-amazing battle of bands have been the staples in the Chicago Football Classic programming, it is the scholarship component that is our true goal. Despite the pandemic, the CFC is playing it forward via scholarships.”
Last year, nearly half a million dollars were awarded to students. But this year's scholarships, done in partnership with several sponsors, including NBC Chicago, now add a free laptop to the mix as remote learning becomes even more prevalent.
The scholarships are set to be awarded at a reception at the DuSable Museum of African American History Thursday.
Here's a list of the recipients:
| 2020 CFC "Winners Win" Scholarship Program | |||
| Scholarship Recipient | High Attended School | HBCU Attending | Company |
| Alexis Gray | North Lawndale Ave. | Malcolm X City College | State of Illinois |
| Alexandrea Williams | Morgan Park HS | Grambling State University | Chicago Park District |
| Amaris Pleas Buford | Kenwood Academy | Spelman University | Retired Executive - Com Ed |
| Andreu Mason | Homewood-Flossmoor | Fisk University | NBC |
| Edward Walker III | Urban Prep Bronzeville | Alabama A&M University | Premier Catering & Events |
| Erionna Marshall | Munchin College Prep | Alabama State University | Eastlake Management |
| Heaven Munn | University of Chicago Woodlawn | Jackson State University | Sherman Dodge |
| Jabari-Ture Brooks | Whitney Young HS / University of Miami | Howard University | SSP America |
| Jade Blanchard | Lindblom Academy | Howard University | People's Gas |
| Jazmyne Cooper | Westinghouse College Prep | Southern University and A&M College | City of Chicago |
| Jourdan Rutland | Homewood-Flossmoor | Tuskegee University | Ridge Strategy Group |
| Kayla Jordan | King College Prep | University of Arkansas Pine Bluff | Chicago Football Classic |
| Kennedy Stoudemire | Kenwood Academy | Hampton University | SanMar Financial |
| Kenneth C. Ross | Marist High School | Morehouse College | BMO Harris Bank |
| Khaliyah Muhammed | Kenwood Academy | Southern University Baton Rouge | Walgreens |
| Makyah White | Chicago Bulls Academy | Spelman College | ComEd |
| Mia Williams | Providence St. Mel | Xavier University Louisiana | Illinois Restaurant Association |
| Ralen Kimbrough | DeLa Salle Institute | Jackson State University | Kimbark Beverage Shoppe |
| Riana J. Ward | Lane Tech | Hampton University | Illinois Restaurant Association |
| Skye Watts | Kenwood Academy | Spelman College | County of Cook |
| Steven B. Clay | Lindblom Academy | Morehouse College | Chicago Cubs |
