This week on WCLK's The Local Take(Saturday 8:00am), I want to spotlight a non-profit organization in our community--Students Without Mothers. Their mission is to assist high-school girls who have lost their mothers with furthering their education. I was joined by Students Without Mothers Founder Mary Torrance Williams, as well as a student who has benefitted from their outreach.
I ask Williams how she came to found Students Without Mothers. She shares a story about her daughter's classmate who struggled with transitioning from high school to college after losing her mother.
We speak about the different ways that people can lose their mother's guidance from death to incarceration.
Her organization accepts applications from September to January 31st each year. Students in their junior year of high school are asked to submit an essay explaining their challenges.
After receiving the essays, their board determines how many young people will receive scholarships. Each recipient is assigned a life coach and receives grief counseling. She shares the story of one student who started with an associate's degree and ends with a medical degree. Students Without Mothers has given scholarships to over 100 young people.
After speaking with Williams, I spoke with Sharodon Jenkins, a Student Without Mothers scholarship recipient, currently attending HBCU Langston University.
I asked Jenkins how she came to learn about Students Without Mothers. She spoke about her volleyball coach and a radio public service announcement. She shares that at age 14, her mother died from complications from Diabetes. She started college at Langston University last year. She spoke about her life coach and the grief counseling she has received.
More information about Students Without Mothers.