Citizens and UNCF award high school seniors $50,000 in scholarships

Citizens and the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) recently launched a $50,000 scholarship to make post-secondary education more accessible. The new “Citizens Helping Citizens” scholarship, which was announced on April 22, 2024, aims to help students from low-income and underrepresented communities. The program hopes to present college-bound high school seniors with more accessible university pathways and provide cultural awareness, understanding and leadership, according to a press release. “Coming together with UNCF to launch the Citizens Helping Citizens Scholarship allows us to accelerate our commitment in building a more inclusive future to meet the ever-changing needs of our young people,” Yvette Vargas, executive vice president and head of development at Citizens, said in a statement. “We are delighted to invest into the next generation of students by providing access to education, which fuels continuous learning, skills development, and professional aspirations.” Through Citizens and UNCF’s partnership, both organizations continue to provide resources beyond scholarship — including key investments, mentorships and workplace development initiatives for students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). “As UNCF embarks on its next 80 years of impact, partnerships like Citizens and UNCF to establish the Citizens Helping Citizens Scholarship, are so vital to ensuring more deserving high...