DETROIT – Students shine at Detroit Pistons Black History Month scholarship event
On Thursday, a group of high school seniors got their shot at $100,000 in scholarships from the Detroit Pistons Foundation.
It’s all an annual competition held each year in honor of Black History Month.
Detroit Pistons legend Rick Mahorn is a driving force behind the program. This year’s theme is embodying Black excellence.
“The best way to celebrate Black History Month is when you have an opportunity to make sure you pass along something beneficial to some of these students,” said Mahorn.
With $100,000 in scholarships up for grabs, seniors from 10 Detroit high schools compete in either a poetry slam or poster contest.
“When these young people get invested in what they need to do and how they present it, man, it’s a lovely thing,” Mahorn said.
This time, a bright light for the program is missing, as Pistons fan-favorite Earl Cureton, who would judge the competition each year, unexpectedly passed away on Sunday.
“He’s from Detroit, he knows what this is about, he knows how people live in Detroit and how accessible and not accessible it is for kids to pursue a college degree or just continue their education,” Mahorn said about his friend.
Cureton’s work won’t be forgotten. The foundation renamed the grand prize poster contest winner in Earl Cureton’s honor.
Leah Vaughn won that award and is receiving a $20,000 scholarship.
“I’ve seen the pictures, I’ve heard about him from the emcee and he’s just an amazing, wonderful person,” said Vaughn. “I feel like if he was here, he would be just as happy as I am.”
The scholarship will go a long way.
“We’re not very rich, we don’t do many vacations, my mom is a single mother, she has all adopted children including me, so she struggles with money,” said Vaughn. “Doing this will really help with my college, paying for books, and everything like that.”
Vaughn plans to attend Michigan State University to study nursing or engineering. She said this experience with the Detroit Pistons Foundation has built her confidence and allowed her to embrace what Black excellence truly means.
“I never thought with my art I would win something like this,” Vaughn said. “I always thought of my art as a little bit of a hobby, nothing too flashy or out there. I’m just like every other artist.”
Every contestant who competed Thursday received a free Dell laptop as a gift from Human IT.
King Bethel, a senior at Jalen Rose Leadership Academy, won the grand prize for the poetry slam contest, the Earl Lloyd Award. He plans to use his $25,000 scholarship to pay for his future at Berklee College of Music.
The Detroit Pistons Black History Scholarship event has awarded over $750,000 since 2005.
Click here to look at all the poster contest entries.
More: Celebration of Life arrangements made for Pistons legend Earl ‘The Twirl’ Cureton