KC Scholars is a program through the nonprofit Great Jobs KC offering scholarships to low-income students of all kinds in Kansas City. It has programs for 11th graders getting ready to apply to universities and for adult learners who didn’t get the chance to go to college right after high school.
Great Jobs KC Chief Operating Officer Natalie Lewis told Up To Date that state cuts to DEI initiatives increase the need for programs like KC Scholars. About 70% of current and former KC Scholars are people of color.
“Most students of color, most first generation students we know for a fact graduate with higher debt.” Lewis said. “Research says (it’s) as much as $25,000 or more higher than their white counterparts.”
Lewis also says following cuts to race-based scholarships and admissions at schools like the University of Missouri, KC Scholars has seen a noticeable increase in its number of applicants.
- Natalie Lewis, Chief Operating Officer of Great Jobs KC
