The Journey Forward

Office of Youth & Education
16 hours ago
2 min read

What One Scholarship Can Change

In Philadelphia, talent is everywhere.

It’s in the student finishing homework at the kitchen table while younger siblings sleep in the next room. It’s in the senior balancing a part-time job with college applications. It’s in the first-generation student refreshing a financial aid portal, wondering if the numbers will add up.

In one of the poorest large cities in the country, ambition is not rare.

Opportunity is.

For many students across Greater Philadelphia, getting accepted to college is a victory in itself. It represents years of discipline, resilience, and belief. But admission is not the finish line. It is the beginning of a new kind of uncertainty.

Tuition bills arrive. Housing deposits are due. Textbooks cost more than expected. Transportation, meals, and unexpected expenses pile up. Behind every acceptance letter is a quiet calculation: Can we afford this?

This is where the Urban League of Greater Philadelphia Community Scholarship Program steps in.

Imagine a student, Let's call them Donovan. The first in their family to attend college, receiving a call that changes everything.

A $5,000 scholarship.

Relief. Breathing room. The ability to say yes without fear.

But this scholarship is not only a check. It is connection.

It is entry into a network that sees the student beyond their GPA. Through the Urban League, that scholar is introduced to internship opportunities, professional development, and mentors who understand what it means to navigate systems not built with them in mind.

During their first year, when many students from under-resourced communities struggle most, they are not alone. They have guidance. They have access. They have people to call when things feel overwhelming.

By sophomore year, they are building confidence. By junior year, they are exploring career pathways. By senior year, they are preparing for the workforce, or, in some cases, exploring entrepreneurship through the Urban League’s Entrepreneurship Center.

Graduation is not the end of the relationship. It is the beginning of long-term mobility.

The scholar enters the workforce with credentials, experience, and a network. They begin to build stability, helping their family, investing in their future, contributing to their community. Years later, they may return as a mentor. As a donor. As a leader aligned with the Urban League mission.

This Black History Month, we are reminded that progress has always required infrastructure, institutions willing to stand in the gap when systems fall short. The Community Scholarship Program is part of that legacy.

To the students who are working hard, dreaming big, and wondering how they will make it through, we encourage you to apply. The deadline has been extended to March 1.

To the donors and partners who believe in economic mobility and community resilience, we invite you to fund a scholarship and walk alongside a student from acceptance to achievement. To fund a scholarship, contact Becky Waldron at