I received the Martin Luther King Jr. scholarship in the spring of 2020. This scholarship meant a lot to me because it not only helped me to pay for college, but it means that someone sees what I am doing and thinks that I would be a good person to give a scholarship in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. This means a lot because of what Martin Luther King Jr. stood for and his leadership.
-Fernando Hernandez Alvarez – Class of 2019
Sometimes all we need to push forward is the knowledge that there are people out there who believe and care about our success. This is the very emotion I felt when I was informed that I had been honored with the good will of the people behind the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship. To me, what lifted my spirit the most wasn’t the amount of money I was being awarded, but the thought that there were people out there who believed and strived for my success and that of my peers. Any doubts and hesitations I had about college were immediately out of my mind, I was convinced that I could achieve heights never reached by my ancestors and that there were people who shared that sentiment with me. The MLK Scholarship reminds us that we must never falter in carrying the torch of generations gone, that have fought and lived so that we may be standing were we are. Likewise, so must we live and fight so that next generation can inherit a better world, and for that we must pass the torch, we must overcome. This is the message that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. left behind with his immortal words, and the very soul of the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship program.
-Peggy Johnson, MHSA, RRT – Class of 2000
I am a graduate of JP McCaskey high school, class of 2000. I was fortunate to be a recipient of the MLK scholarship. As a first generation college student & now graduate, my financial stress of getting through college was heightened. My family didn’t understand or know the cost associated with college, nor were they in a position to help. While my tuition was paid through scholarship, but the bigger worry was how I would pay for supplies and text books.
The MLK scholarship helped to alleviate that stress those first couple of years. Attending and getting through college is a grave challenge for any individual who pursues it, but having financial setbacks can really make or break any students’ success. The MLK scholarship ensured I got what I needed for my classes to aid in my success. I am forever grateful.
-Tien Hong – Class of 2002
Thank you for allowing me to express my gratitude towards our beloved leader; Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, in which he called for human rights and economic rights in the United States. As an individual citizen of this great nation, I’ve experienced many wonderful things that Martin Luther King Jr. had fought so hard for. One of that experiences is having an opportunity to pursue my dream through higher education. As a recipient of MLK, Jr. Scholarship and a graduate from Penn State university, thank you so much for making a positive impact in my life.
-Hannah Deane – Class of 2018
The Martin Luther King Jr. memorial scholarship has given me the opportunity to pursue a higher education with an increased appreciation for the communities I have been a part of and continue to get involved with. Dr. King’s pillars of life – school, community, family, and faith – are important to me. These values were reemphasized through the application process for this scholarship, and I carry them with me day to day. Having access to the education I do, while keeping in mind these principles, I have been able to do things like join service organizations and clubs that foster a strong sense of community. Without the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial scholarship, many of the life experiences I have been privileged enough to have would be a dream rather than a reality.
-Crissy Tang – Class of 2011
I’m so thankful to have been awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Scholarship as it helped alleviate some of my financial burdens from college. The financial support has helped make higher education more accessible for so many who require aid and I’m delighted to see that the program continues to invest in the future of other students.
I was able to finance college through a combination of loans, grants, scholarships, and family assistance.
-Jen Preston – Class of 2010
In a society where it can be easy to lose sight of education and the opportunities it provides for growth, I am truly thankful for the generosity of the MLK Memorial Scholarship foundation. The support from the foundation helped to make these opportunities available to me. I believe that I have grown so much and have experienced so many things that have improved my abilities because I had the chance to receive a scholarship that helped make my journey possible. I am currently finishing my doctorate and I have a career as a therapist helping others. I am proud to say that I have worked hard to get to where I am but I also could not have done it without their help. It is really encouraging to know that there are individuals who are committed to investing in our future and in the lives of the next generation. I will always be thankful for the foundation for believing in me and my potential.
-Crystal Tang – Class of 2011
I am so appreciative of the financial support I received from the MLK, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund upon entering my first semester at Syracuse University in 2011. The scholarship provided some financial relief for the initial costs to attend university and also instilled in me a strong sense of self and community, values that I have carried with me throughout my personal and professional life. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities that have followed in part due to the aid and I’m thrilled to know that the fund is continuing to help McCaskey students after me achieve success and obtain the financial assistance they require.
-Leyshmarie Lizasuain – Class of 2019
Being a recipient of the Martin Luther King Scholarship is an honor and a privilege. To have been chosen is one of my greatest accomplishments. The ceremony held in honor of the recipients allowed me to know peers and gain support and advice from former recipients as well as people from the board; the advice received that evening is one I’ll carry with me. Thanks to the Martin Luther king scholarship I also had the privilege to pay less than five hundred dollars my first year of college. I’ll always be in gratitude.
-Tiffany Lam – Class of 2015
Transitioning from adolescence into adulthood is challenging to say the least. Students in the School District of Lancaster often experience this transition at an accelerated pace. However, the past and present recipients of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship embody the fundamental characteristics of MLK, Jr. himself: passion, perseverance, and resilience. Receiving this scholarship in 2015 not only eased my financial burden during my first semester at Gettysburg College but it also instilled in me long-lasting traits of service, generosity, and community. This scholarship felt like a loving farewell from the district that raised me and I could not be prouder to be a McCaskey Tornado. Thank you for believing in us and our futures. Together we can empower; together we can achieve; together we can make a difference
Scholarship Testimonials
-Caroline Wisler – Class of 2020
I received the Martin Luther King Jr. scholarship in the spring of 2020. This scholarship meant a lot to me because it not only helped me to pay for college, but it means that someone sees what I am doing and thinks that I would be a good person to give a scholarship in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. This means a lot because of what Martin Luther King Jr. stood for and his leadership.
-Fernando Hernandez Alvarez – Class of 2019
Sometimes all we need to push forward is the knowledge that there are people out there who believe and care about our success. This is the very emotion I felt when I was informed that I had been honored with the good will of the people behind the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship. To me, what lifted my spirit the most wasn’t the amount of money I was being awarded, but the thought that there were people out there who believed and strived for my success and that of my peers. Any doubts and hesitations I had about college were immediately out of my mind, I was convinced that I could achieve heights never reached by my ancestors and that there were people who shared that sentiment with me. The MLK Scholarship reminds us that we must never falter in carrying the torch of generations gone, that have fought and lived so that we may be standing were we are. Likewise, so must we live and fight so that next generation can inherit a better world, and for that we must pass the torch, we must overcome. This is the message that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. left behind with his immortal words, and the very soul of the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship program.
-Peggy Johnson, MHSA, RRT – Class of 2000
I am a graduate of JP McCaskey high school, class of 2000. I was fortunate to be a recipient of the MLK scholarship. As a first generation college student & now graduate, my financial stress of getting through college was heightened. My family didn’t understand or know the cost associated with college, nor were they in a position to help. While my tuition was paid through scholarship, but the bigger worry was how I would pay for supplies and text books.
The MLK scholarship helped to alleviate that stress those first couple of years. Attending and getting through college is a grave challenge for any individual who pursues it, but having financial setbacks can really make or break any students’ success. The MLK scholarship ensured I got what I needed for my classes to aid in my success. I am forever grateful.
-Tien Hong – Class of 2002
Thank you for allowing me to express my gratitude towards our beloved leader; Martin Luther King Jr., an American civil rights activist, in which he called for human rights and economic rights in the United States. As an individual citizen of this great nation, I’ve experienced many wonderful things that Martin Luther King Jr. had fought so hard for. One of that experiences is having an opportunity to pursue my dream through higher education. As a recipient of MLK, Jr. Scholarship and a graduate from Penn State university, thank you so much for making a positive impact in my life.
-Hannah Deane – Class of 2018
The Martin Luther King Jr. memorial scholarship has given me the opportunity to pursue a higher education with an increased appreciation for the communities I have been a part of and continue to get involved with. Dr. King’s pillars of life – school, community, family, and faith – are important to me. These values were reemphasized through the application process for this scholarship, and I carry them with me day to day. Having access to the education I do, while keeping in mind these principles, I have been able to do things like join service organizations and clubs that foster a strong sense of community. Without the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial scholarship, many of the life experiences I have been privileged enough to have would be a dream rather than a reality.
-Crissy Tang – Class of 2011
I’m so thankful to have been awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Scholarship as it helped alleviate some of my financial burdens from college. The financial support has helped make higher education more accessible for so many who require aid and I’m delighted to see that the program continues to invest in the future of other students.
I was able to finance college through a combination of loans, grants, scholarships, and family assistance.
-Jen Preston – Class of 2010
In a society where it can be easy to lose sight of education and the opportunities it provides for growth, I am truly thankful for the generosity of the MLK Memorial Scholarship foundation. The support from the foundation helped to make these opportunities available to me. I believe that I have grown so much and have experienced so many things that have improved my abilities because I had the chance to receive a scholarship that helped make my journey possible. I am currently finishing my doctorate and I have a career as a therapist helping others. I am proud to say that I have worked hard to get to where I am but I also could not have done it without their help. It is really encouraging to know that there are individuals who are committed to investing in our future and in the lives of the next generation. I will always be thankful for the foundation for believing in me and my potential.
-Crystal Tang – Class of 2011
I am so appreciative of the financial support I received from the MLK, Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund upon entering my first semester at Syracuse University in 2011. The scholarship provided some financial relief for the initial costs to attend university and also instilled in me a strong sense of self and community, values that I have carried with me throughout my personal and professional life. I will forever be grateful for the opportunities that have followed in part due to the aid and I’m thrilled to know that the fund is continuing to help McCaskey students after me achieve success and obtain the financial assistance they require.
-Leyshmarie Lizasuain – Class of 2019
Being a recipient of the Martin Luther King Scholarship is an honor and a privilege. To have been chosen is one of my greatest accomplishments. The ceremony held in honor of the recipients allowed me to know peers and gain support and advice from former recipients as well as people from the board; the advice received that evening is one I’ll carry with me. Thanks to the Martin Luther king scholarship I also had the privilege to pay less than five hundred dollars my first year of college. I’ll always be in gratitude.
-Tiffany Lam – Class of 2015
Transitioning from adolescence into adulthood is challenging to say the least. Students in the School District of Lancaster often experience this transition at an accelerated pace. However, the past and present recipients of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship embody the fundamental characteristics of MLK, Jr. himself: passion, perseverance, and resilience. Receiving this scholarship in 2015 not only eased my financial burden during my first semester at Gettysburg College but it also instilled in me long-lasting traits of service, generosity, and community. This scholarship felt like a loving farewell from the district that raised me and I could not be prouder to be a McCaskey Tornado. Thank you for believing in us and our futures. Together we can empower; together we can achieve; together we can make a difference