Michigan group looks to award students who overcome poverty

Living in a poverty-stricken area can be tough, and it can be even harder to succeed academically in a public school system that ranks below national averages. However, it's not uncommon for students to overcome the odds, graduate high school and work toward their dreams of earning degrees.

Now, the Michigan College Access Network is looking to award those who graduate from high school in impoverished areas, according to the Ludington Daily News. Currently, the group is working to round up both private and public scholarships to financially support students who finish schooling in "Promise Zones," which are poverty-stricken neighborhoods of the state.

"Education is the closest thing we have to a silver bullet when it comes to escaping the cycle of poverty," Brandy Johnson, executive director of Michigan College Access Network, told the news source.

Potential recipients of the cash prizes must also be eligible for the Pell grant. The Promise Zone scholarship would then help pay for the remaining cost of tuition.

College grants and scholarships are valuable financial resources for a number of reasons. In addition to curbing the cost of college, they also do not have to be paid back over time.

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