Forty percent* of the student population in the United States faces food insecurity. Forty-three percent* experience housing insecurity, and fourteen percent* are homeless. These students are more likely to get lower grades and withdraw from school without obtaining their degree - and these factors disproportionately affect the African-American community.
True Blue 1881 was founded to address these growing issues by alumnae from Spelman College, an all-female, Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Atlanta, GA. Its mission is to eliminate food housing and economic insecurities for students at HBCUs by providing direct aid through scholarships, events and mentorships.
*source: American studies
Transforming lives: scholarships for a brighter future
The Syensqo Fund aims to help students complete their college education by eliminating food and shelter insecurities and providing them with mentorship and networking opportunities to enhance their educational experience.
To do this, the Fund is partnering with True Blue 1881 to award five scholarships to STEM majors at Spelman College, based on academic excellence and validated financial need, with the additional objective of advancing diversity & inclusion by supporting female STEM students at HBCUs.
With this partnership, The Syensqo Fund is also investing in the community of Alpharetta, GA, near one of Syensqo’s major R&I sites in the USA and close to the company’s future PVDF production facility located in Augusta.
Addressing societal challenges
Reducing educational inequality by eliminating food and shelter insecurities for students, thus helping them complete their college education, while also supporting female STEM students at HBCUs.
Many students at Spelman College rely on financial aid to cover the costs of attending a private institution. As a small nonprofit, our partnership with Syensqo, via the Syensqo Fund, has been transformative. We are incredibly grateful for this support. This is the largest multi-year financial commitment we’ve received, allowing us to support students over three years. With reduced financial stress, students can focus on academic and professional growth, while also benefiting from mentorship and opportunities in STEM provided by Syensqo.
Syensqo Scholarships
The five recipients received their scholarship checks at a ceremony on September 30, 2024 at Spelman College, with our partner True Blue 1881, along with representatives from Syensqo Alpharetta site.
Congratulations to Samyah Smith, Latoya Murrell, KyChelle Barnes, Misha Billingsley, who are all sophomores in Chemistry, and Gabriella La Cour, a sophomore in Biochemistry/Math.
Scholarship recipients visiting Syensqo Alpharetta site in February 2025
Scholarship recipients visiting Syensqo Alpharetta site in February 2025
True Blue 1881 Syensqo scholars from Spelman college - November 2024
Spelman students receiving their scholarship check with True Blue 1881 and Syensqo Alpharetta representatives - September 2024
Scholarship recipients, KyChelle, Latoya, Gabriella, Misha and Samyah with Syensqo representatives - September 2024
Scholarship recipients, Gabriella and Latoya - September 2024
I am deeply grateful to receive this scholarship, as it greatly eases my financial burdens and enables me to focus on both my academic and professional growth. The career and networking opportunities with Syensqo are especially exciting, offering invaluable exposure to a field directly related to my major. This experience is broadening my knowledge while helping me build meaningful connections that will shape my future. I sincerely appreciate this opportunity and thank Syensqo and the Syensqo Fund for their generous support.
The scholarship has not only allowed me to focus on my classes and research without financial stress, but it has also connected me with an incredible network. Through this connection, I’ve explored opportunities I hadn’t considered before, including a potential internship with Syensqo in polymer physics. It’s exciting to see how this support goes beyond funding and opens doors to real-world experiences.
True Blue 1881
The desire of True Blue 1881 is to create a world where students are free of food, shelter and economic insecurities by providing scholarships and connecting students with resources.
