UA Student Story: Kimari
We’re sharing powerful voices from Urban Arts students and alumni. Kimari’s story should resonate with anyone who has ever worried about paying for their child’s college tuition or repaying their own college debt.
Kimari didn’t have to assume thousands of dollars of debt because she earned a full scholarship to New York University. She shares this success with Urban Arts.
At Urban Arts, we don’t just encourage economic mobility through matriculation at any cost. We find the colleges that are right for our students, help them apply and earn financial support. To date, Urban Arts grads have earned more than $10 million in scholarships.
“I couldn’t just assume that college would get me out of the cycle of poverty. Assuming potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt in order to make a good living later is complicated. I was going in without the financial security of those who have gone before me. Confidence that it would all work out wasn’t something I could afford to feel,” says Kimari.
89% of low income first generation college students drop out of college or delay graduation due to financial insecurity.
“I appreciated how Urban Arts paired encouragement with realism. They didn’t sugarcoat what we needed to accomplish, but they also gave us all of the information and support we needed in order to do it. I had the chance to build my portfolio and make games that showcased all the skills I had developed while at Urban Arts.”
“Urban Arts made my application competitive, and it’s still having a ripple effect. Companies like Second Dinner, Rockstar Games and Warner Brother Games now invest in me with internships because they see what I can do. I’m confident in my future career.”
“For someone like me, every small boost has a domino effect.”
Your donation is a domino. Here’s how:
- $10,000 allows us to roll out our award-winning computer science course in a Title 1 public school for hundreds of students
- $5,000 covers a student’s cost to attend Urban Arts’ Mastery Level programming throughout high school
- $2,000 covers a student’s enrollment in our AP Computer Science course
- $1,000 covers extensive scholarship research and application support for a student
- $500 covers a student’s attendance in Urban Arts’ College Exploration and Access Course
- $250 covers college application fees for one student
- $100 covers 3 hours of 1:1 college essay support for one student
- $50 covers a masterclass at our learning hub or in our virtual classrooms
Thank you, Philip Courtney