Students who graduate from Battle Creek Public Schools will receive scholarships to attend a four-year Michigan college or University, or a historically Black college or university outside the state, officials announced Wednesday.
The scholarships will be provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, a local foundation created in 1930 by the cereal entrepreneur.
“This scholarship brings the possibility of higher education to students who otherwise may not have the resources to pursue it,” said Kimberly Carter, superintendent of Battle Creek schools.
A student who has been in the school district since kindergarten will receive a 100% scholarship. The scholarship is smaller if a student has spent fewer years in Battle Creek schools.
Angelo Williams is a junior in the district. He said his fellow students almost couldn't believe the news was real when it was announced at an assembly on Wednesday.
"It was nothing short of a "pop" in the auditorium," he said. "Definitely, everyone was really surprised. After the assembly everyone was really excited, just knowing what the magnitute of this means for us going forward."
Williams said attending an HBCU was his dream, but he worried he wouldn't be able to afford it. Now, he said, the scholarship makes it possible.
Since 2005, Kalamazoo, 25 miles (40 kilometers) west of Battle Creek, has had a similar program funded by philanthropists, called the Kalamazoo Promise.
The Battle Creek Community Foundation offers separate scholarships for students who want to enroll in a trade school or an apprenticeship program.