Tucker Middle School students recognized as REACH scholarship winners.

Written by: Austin Leachman, DCSD Communications Intern

Three Tucker Middle School eighth-grade students were recognized as winners of the REACH Scholarship during a special ceremony on October 13 at the school. The honorees are Nuhamin Chernet, Kenny Vu, and Jazell Watkins. They were selected from a field of 11 worthy candidates.

REACH, or Realizing Educational Achievement Can Happen, is a needs-based scholarship program that begins in middle school by identifying low income, academically promising students who are the first generation in their families to attend a post-secondary college level program.

Each member of the trio at Tucker Middle School will receive a $10,000 scholarship if they maintain practical standards upon their high school graduation. The students are to use the money from the scholarship towards a college-level education in Georgia.

“This achievement means so much to us, and to other students that have the opportunity to see what good attendance, behavior, and outstanding grades can help them accomplish,” said Principal Kathy Cunningham of Tucker Middle School.

REACH Georgia was first launched on February 2012 at the Georgia Institute of Technology with AT&T being its first corporate sponsor. Today, REACH serves 103 school systems across the state of Georgia and roughly 1,200 scholars, accumulating $17 million in scholarships.