April 7, 2015
Junior Vester Waters was one of 12 students nationwide selected to receive a scholarship from the Tom Joyner Foundation for his commitment to fighting hunger.
The foundation partnered with Denny’s to invite students from any of the nation’s HBCUs to apply for the $2,500 scholarships. Applicants had to write an essay of 200 words or less describing the most memorable activity or community service project they have done to combat hunger.
The Tom Joyner Foundation announced that they were giving out the scholarship last October. Waters applied later in the fall, after having worked with Student Support Services last Thanksgiving in an effort to give food to needy families in the Mississippi Delta.
Around the same time, Waters wired proceeds he had received from performing his Christian rap single, “Get Right (He’s Coming Back),” to Milestone Clothing, a Detroit-based clothing label that used the money to give clothes and food to families in the area for Thanksgiving.
Students could apply as early as mid-October, and the application period ended on December 17. Waters sent in his application last December, and on January 30 he received an email indicating that he was one of the 12 finalists selected to receive the $2,500 stipend.
He then got to work on a short video explaining his efforts to combat hunger and how they fit into the overall commitment to service that he has displayed while a student at MVSU. In addition to the food initiatives mentioned above, Waters is also a peer tutor and mentor within Student Support Services, a TRIO program aimed at helping increase the retention and graduation rates of its participants.
By submitting the video, Waters may have the opportunity to participate in an internship at Denny’s over the summer.
Waters is happy to get the extra scholarship support. “The scholarship will go toward tuition, room and board,” he said.