Seven Adults with Autism, Who Were Accepted Into College, Receive Scholarships for Their Hard Work
Jersey City, New Jersey (PRWEB) June 01, 2015 -- As high school graduation nears, the opportunity to attend college in the fall becomes a possibility for some. For a number of bright young autistic adults this is now becoming a reality. Chantel Tavares (from Orlando, FL), Jacob Schweppe (from Kewanee, IL) and Brandon Lang (from Redwood City, CA) are showing the world the potential of those in the autism community. These three amazing young adults have been selected as the winners of the spring 2015 “Making a Difference for Autism Scholarship” from the KFM group. In addition, KFM Making a Difference is giving out four honorable mention scholarships to Rachel Barcellona (Palm Harbor, FL), Christopher Hoskins (Beavercreek, OH), Michael Kirouac (Burlington, Ontario), and Christopher Oh (North Palm Beach, FL).
“As the scholarship program begins to build momentum, we are seeing a record number of applications coming in,” says Kerry Magro, founder and CEO of KFM Making a Difference. “With these seven (7) scholarships, we hope to help these young adults shine and be able to reach their potential and pursue their dreams. Their stories are inspiring to say the least…”
Chantel, who is attending the University of Central Florida, said on winning the award, “It was a great relief to see that my prayer for financial help has been answered. I want to thank the KFM committee for selecting me for the award, which will help me complete my bachelors in accounting this year. Thanks to this award, my future is looking much brighter.”
Jacob who will be attending Monmouth College said, “I hope that my story serves as an inspiration to others affected by autism.”
Brandon, who was accepted to the University of California Santa Cruz said, “I immediately told my mother, who got very excited as well. I have spent the last few months researching opportunities for scholarships. However, since I am not an athlete and not at the very top of my class, there were very few opportunities that I would be considered for. The "Making a Difference for Autism Scholarship” was a wonderful opportunity for me.”
In fall of 2012, KFM Making a Difference launched its scholarship program. Today KFM has now given out twenty (20) scholarships in total, helping 20 autistic adults to go to college. Kerry Magro, who turned 27 earlier this month, started KFM Making a Difference in 2009 while in College at Seton Hall University. What most don’t know about Kerry is that he was diagnosed with autism at 4. Today, Kerry is an accredited professional speaker who travels the country discussing autism and disability related issues.
Today, according to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 68 children will be diagnosed with autism while more than 500,000 young individuals with autism will reach adulthood within the next decade. Last year U.S. News & World Report highlighted KFM Making a Difference as one of the only non-profits to give out scholarships to adults with autism in the U.S pursuing a post-secondary program: http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/the-scholarship-coach/2014/04/17/find-college-scholarships-that-support-students-with-autism
KFM Making a Difference will now be looking ahead to its fall 2015 scholarship application period, anticipating award of scholarships to additional talented autistic adults from the community. The deadline for this scholarship will be Monday, December 7th at Midnight U.S Eastern Standard Time. For more information on KFM Making a Difference and how you can apply for the next scholarship please go to http://www.kerrymagro.com/blog/ for more details.
Kerry Magro, [email protected], http://kerrymagro.com, +1 (201) 360-7819, [email protected]
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