Vol. 2, Issue 3 March 2020 KEEPING YOU UP‐TO‐DATE MONTHLY WITH THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS IN SHELBY COUNTY, TN i LoveShelbyCounty.com LETTER FROM THE EDITOR By Yvonne D. Nelson, Ph.D., CNC There were a lot of events planned during the month of February in Memphis and Shelby County, TN. This month, as usual, NEWSCENE covered several of these positive events that took place and concerned our communities, educational achievements, youth, historians, housing, environmental concerns, including both for proit and nonproit activities. It is almost spring and it was just January! Don’t forget—time waits for neither you nor I, so let’s always remember to spend our time wisely. Please remember to follow us and to subscribe online at iLoveShelbyCounty.com. For those of you who prefer hard copies, thanks for your subscriptions. Subscribe to our printed editions online for $84/year, $42/bi‐annually, or purchase a single copy for the low cost of $7/month. You can call us at 901‐300‐0390, subscribe and/or pay online, or make your check made payable to DI’MANS, Inc. We are always looking forward to getting your emails at NEWSCENEShelbyCo@gmail.com. We can also be contacted by mail at DI’MANS, Inc. dba NEWSCENE, I Love Shelby County.com, P.O. Box 9146, Memphis, TN 38190‐0146. HAPPY ‘BLACK FACTS’ IS EVERY DAY MONTH! Thank you, GRADUATES OF SWTCC BENEFIT FROM PBI GRANT PROGRAM The Department of Education, Ofice of Post Secondary Education announced it was accepting applications for “New Awards: Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) Competitive Grant Program” in May of 2015. The administration at Southwest Tennessee Community College (SWTCC) received an award in 2012, reapplied in 2015, and was awarded $3 million for the FY2015-FY2020 school years. The purpose of the PBI program is to “strengthen PBIs to carry out programs that are designed to improve the educational outcomes of minority males by reducing the net cost, median student loan debt, and likelihood of student loan default for high-need students who enroll in post secondary degree programs in college.” Matthew Shields, a Wooddale High School graduate, was one of several men who were recently rewarded for their educational achievements through the program. “I’ve been attending college off and on and this is my second stint in college since I graduated high school,” said Shields, 25. “I wasn’t mentally prepared for college when I irst got out of high school. With this go round, I was ready for it. It’s like, I want better in life and I feel like I’ve got to further my education to open up more doors.” Currently working as a Patient Escort for Methodist Hospital, Shields has plans to stay with his current employer and hopes to grow with the company while he’s there. “I’m in school for my business degree and I want to get in on the business side of Methodist,” said Shields who’s goal is to obtain a masters degree in business. “I really appreciate the founders and the makers of the scholarship program here at Southwest. I was paying out of pocket and with the scholarship, that helped me inish last semester with a breeze. Plus, I got my job last semester. If I could pay it forward to help a senior coming out of high school today, I would tell them what I’ve learned. I would tell them life is a marathon, not a race and that one shouldn’t be in competition with their peers. Everybody’s path is different. Just give it your best and don’t be scared to take a chance on yourself.”
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