Bogan High School 2025 graduate Aaron Williams is still sorting through college acceptance letters. According to ABC7 Chicago, Williams has already been accepted into more than 83 colleges and universities, and this is only after opening half of the letters he has received. Additionally, he’s already earned at least $8 million in scholarships. This is more than any of his six siblings. Per the outlet, one of his older siblings has earned $1 million in scholarships. “And, they’re still coming in. Daily, he gets emails. They’re a little bit behind,” his mother, Ericka Smith, told the outlet. Williams also added, “To know that all the hours of me applying for scholarships, and having to log them on school links, and just putting in the effort, and having a community to support me and guide me through this process is relieving to know that it paid off in the long-run.” Williams may not be surprised by the influx of great news, as he had already predicted a path of excellence when he...

Former college athlete Santia Deck has created a platform she wishes were available while in high school. Deck has launched an all-in-one recruiting and NIL application for overlooked high school athletes , according to Winning Her Way, the sports-focused media company she founded. Recalling her high school days, it was difficult to connect with track college coaches in Texas, she mentioned on the platform. Without a clear blueprint, countless hours were spent sending highlight reels to coaches, just hoping for a response. “When I was a high school athlete, I wanted it so badly. To run track at a college in Texas. To get seen. To get a shot,” she said. Now, Deck has launched Winning Your Way Recruiter. The app will make it easier for college athletes to not only connect with college coaches, but also capitalize on their names, images or likeness (NIL), something that was non-existent during her time playing college sports. The app is available for $15 per month, and high school...

Recent graduate Sabrin Khalif is ensuring her parents’ sacrifices weren’t in vain. According to CBS News, Khalif has earned not only a high school diploma from Irondale High School in New Brighton, MN, but also an Associate of Liberal Arts and Sciences degree from nearby Anoka-Ramsey Community College. This feat holds emotional weight considering her parents, who were raised in Somalia, never had a chance to finish school even at the elementary level. The pair moved to the United States in hopes of creating a better life. “All of the aspirations my parents wanted, it’s now set on me,” Khalif told the outlet. “Not only to fulfill it, but also to show them that all of their sacrifices, everything that they gave up on, they’re able to say, ‘Hey, it was actually worth it.'” What’s Next? Looking ahead, Khalif intends to further her studies at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in Minneapolis-St. Paul and will be pursuing a bachelor’s in human physiology and a bachelor’s in public...

Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks point guard, has donated to support the construction of a center that will educate the youth. There is an active GoFundMe that was launched to commemorate the legacy of Tamir Rice, A 12-year-old Black boy who was shot and killed by Timothy Loehmann, a white police officer, in 2014 at the Cudell Park Recreation Center in Cleveland. The child had been playing with a “toy black airsoft pistol with a removable magazine” at the time, a news release reports. A Center In His Legacy Samira Rice, Tamir’s mother, has made the GoFundMe to raise funds in support of a new center in his honor to empower the youth through arts and education, notes Complex. She’s asking for $23 donations to commemorate what would have been Tamir’s 23rd birthday. The project has a $110,000 target and has already raised $92,717 (at the time of this writing). With over 1,000 people contributing, Irving made a significant donation towards the project, committing $50,000. “I miss my son so...

VJ Edgecombe, a 2025 NBA draft pick, isn’t taking his positioning for granted. Edgecombe was drafted on Wednesday to the Philadelphia 76ers during the first round as a third overall pick, according to CBS Sports. The moment was emotional for Edgecombe as he reflected on his upbringing. He was born and raised in Bimini, a small island in the Bahamas, according to WHYY. He told NBA reporter Taylor Rooks that his family struggled, lived without electricity for seven years, and had to rely on a generator. “See what she had to go through to feed us? It’s crazy… My mind [is] everywhere right now,” he told Rooks. Basketball is now his saving grace. Edgecombe moved to the U.S. in the ninth grade and completed his senior year of high school at Long Island Lutheran in Brookville, NY, per USA Today. In college, he played basketball at Baylor University and made a name for himself, averaging 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.1 steals per game, Sports Spectrum reported. His talents...

Innovative learning labs are being planted in southern underresourced cities to combat the digital divide. Ed Farm Launched in February 2020, Ed Farm, with the support of Apple and the Alabama Power Foundation, works to reach students, teachers and the workforce with the goal of establishing an epicenter for education technology, Ed Farm President Waymond Jackson told AFROTECH™ during the Future of Learning Summit 2025 on June 5. Photo Credit: Samantha Dorisca The organization initially focused on the Birmingham, AL area, launching with a partnership with Birmingham City Schools before expanding to Montgomery Public Schools and Atlanta Public Schools by 2021. Today, its efforts have scaled to Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and California, per The Business Journals. The arrival of Ed Farm came just weeks before the pandemic. “We were just working with one school district, which was Birmingham City Schools. What I continue to tell my team was that we positioned to be a...

The sky is the limit for California high schooler Keion Rothschild. CBS News reports the Vista Oaks Charter School senior graduated with a 4.0 GPA with honors and has been accepted into 24 colleges and universities, including University of California, Berkeley; University of California, Los Angeles; and the University of Southern California. What’s more, he has been empowered with $1 million in scholarships. “Wow, I’m really able to do that,” Rothschild expressed to the outlet. “It really puts it into perspective what you can do when you put your mind to it.” Rothschild’s mother, Onó, commented: “I’m ecstatic for my son and I say this so often; I am just blessed to be his mom.” Rothschild is already charting his future ahead. He has chosen to attend the University of Oregon with a full-ride scholarship made possible through their honors program. He will pursue an English degree to fulfill his aspirations of becoming a screenwriter. But beyond academic goals, his dreams are deeply...

Meharry Medical College will be broadening its reach to Memphis, TN. The Historically Black College and University (HBCU), based in Nashville, TN, has long-term plans to expand to Memphis, TN, as CEO and President James Hildreth told Commercial Appeal. Already, the school held a grand opening for a new medical training facility that will be located at the 23-acre mixed-use campus of Mississippi Boulevard Christian Church, launching its Office of Memphis Programs. “I see this as a wonderful opportunity to turn the tide on and bring about better health care outcomes in the city of Memphis,” said Rev. Jason Turner of Mississippi Boulevard Church, according to the outlet. The training facility will be timely as Meharry Medical College has often sent its students to hospitals in other states due to outstanding commitments local major hospitals already had to train students from other schools. “One of the things that the branch campus in Memphis will do for us is to allow us to have two...