More than 100 Riverside High School students were named Ayers Scholars during The Ayers Foundation annual End of Year Celebration Thursday. The Ayers Foundation provides last-dollar scholarships up to $4,000 per year to local high school students who wish to pursue post-secondary education. The Foundation also provides counselor support in an effort to make college more accessible to students. According to Bob Obrohta, Director of The Ayers Foundation Scholars Program, more than 85 percent of the 2011 class will be attending four year and two year institutions or technical schools. Nearly a dozen students plan to attend the local UT Martin Parsons Center.
Jim Ayers, who established The Ayers Foundation in 1999, spoke to graduates on the importance of becoming a success.“How you handle yourselves the next few years will determine the course of your life for the next sixty years,” Ayers told this year’s scholars. He encouraged them to study hard and get their degree, leading them on a path toward a successful life. “I want every one of you to promise yourselves,” he added. “This, you’re going to do right.” The Ayers Foundation has awarded more than $6 million in scholarships to more than 1000 students in the last 12 years.