Some Immokalee students are getting scholarships that simply require them to have a good time.
Since 2015, Dr. Massoud Eghrari and his wife, Tayebeh, have awarded “fun money” scholarships in honor of Dr. Eghrari’s late wife, Isabella, to deserving Immokalee Foundation students. To be eligible, students must have successfully completed their first semester of college and write an essay about how they would spend $500 purely having fun.
Although the Immokalee Foundation's primary purpose is to develop Southwest Florida's workforce of the future, this comes with its own set of challenges, chief among them being that most of the students it supports live just north or south of the poverty line.
"Though the agricultural community of Immokalee lies just three hours south of Orlando, many foundation students have never been to a theme park as the disposable income was never available," explained Noemi Y. Perez, Immokalee Foundation president and CEO, herself a native of the underserved town of Immokalee.
One of the scholarship recipients, Genesis, explained what she wrote in her essay.
"I knew that we were, me and my family were trying to plan something for Christmas. So when I discovered that this scholarship was available, I immediately went on board, because I knew that it would just be a great financial support on a trip that was made to be fun and away from academic stress."
So Genesis and several family members drove to Chicago while Genesis was on a holiday break from studying applied physiology and kinesiology, which is her major.
"During Christmas we've kind of made it a tradition to get out of Florida, and that was kind of like our Christmas gift. … and we just decided that Chicago was something different," she said.
Ivan, who is majoring in construction management, had his sights set on a different city.
"My last previous December, I wasn't able to really do much because I got, unfortunately, I got injured through one of the sports I was doing in my high school years, and I just wanted to go out and explore the country and go to my first concert ever," he said.
That concert was in Nashville.
"And also I wanted to experience the full Nashville, to go around the city and explore. And it was really amazing. I still think about those days."
The Isabella Eghrari Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to more than 130 students, totaling over $65,000.
"The scholarship aims to provide Immokalee Foundation students with a sense of well-being and a reminder that they are not only supported in their academic pursuits but also cared for as individuals," added Perez.
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