SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – The Utah Jazz Thursday announced that applications for full-ride college scholarships are now open — 30 of them, to be exact after 30 wins so far this season.
This year, every Jazz win equates to a scholarship for an underrepresented student of color. The program, announced earlier this year, is a new initiative and even includes wins from the preseason.
“It’s something you’re proud of,” said Jazz coach Quin Snyder on Thursday.
“Giving a young man or a young woman the opportunity to develop, evolve, and embrace education is something that’s incredibly important. And the diversity component benefits everybody,” added Snyder.
The 30 scholarships will be for six Utah universities and are open to those enrolling as freshmen during the 2021-2022 academic year.
The universities are Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, University of Utah, Utah Valley University, Utah State University, and Weber State University.
For a link to the application, visit utahjazz.com/scholarship.
More information from the Jazz about the scholarship is below:
The Utah Jazz Scholars Program is specifically designated for underrepresented students of color who have demonstrated financial need, with preference given to first-generation college students. People of color are underrepresented in the classroom and workforce relative to the rest of the population, with Black and African American, Hispanic and Latinx, and Native American and Alaska Native groups remaining half as likely as their white peers to have a bachelor’s degree or higher and having higher unemployment rates than their white counterparts. The goal of the award is to help directly address these gaps by providing scholarships to students of color who have historically received fewer resources and less support.
In addition to the financial investment, each Utah Jazz Scholar will be offered guidance and assistance in the form of mentorships, job shadowing, and internship and job placement support — a collaborative effort between the Utah Jazz and the broader Utah business community.
Scholarship recipients will be eligible based on the following criteria:
- Graduate of a Utah high school
- Person of color
- Demonstrated financial need
- Has been admitted to one of the six listed Utah universities: Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, University of Utah, Utah Valley University, Utah State University, and Weber State University
- Preference for first-generation college student
- Incoming freshman enrolling as a full-time student
