Mayor Small Announces Unprecedented Scholarship Program for Atlantic City Residents

VIDEO OF NEWS CONFERENCE: https://bit.ly/3VWmxPN 

Atlantic City, N.J. (May 10, 2023) – City of Atlantic City Mayor Marty Small, Sr., during a news conference this morning outside Atlantic City High School, announced the details of the historic “Mayor Marty Small, Sr. Scholarship” that will initially be awarded to 100 Atlantic City residents.

The first 50 scholarships of $10,000 each ($5,000 per semester) will go to current Atlantic City High School seniors who live in Atlantic City. An additional 50 scholarships of $10,000 each ($5,000 per semester) will be awarded to incoming sophomores, juniors and seniors currently in college who graduated from Atlantic City High School and reside in Atlantic City. All applicants must fill out and submit an application, a one-page resume, a one-page essay explaining how they will contribute to bettering Atlantic City and obtain two letters of recommendation. Current seniors applying must have an acceptance letter from an accredited higher educational institution. There are no GPA requirements.

This scholarship is a $3-million commitment over the next three years. The money comes from the Addressing Educational Disparity category of American Rescue Plan funds Atlantic City has received. The city received $33-million in ARP money, half used last year, and half for this year.

 “Youth is a priority of my administration,” said Mayor Small. “It is extremely important to provide our youth with the necessary resources to allow them to succeed. This scholarship allows us to invest in our children, and have those same children get educated and return to the City of Atlantic City to better themselves. Any parent that has had to put their kids through college will wish they had this opportunity afforded to them.”

“We are extremely grateful for the Mayor’s generous investment and commitment to the students of Atlantic City High School,” said Dr. La’Quetta Small, Superintendent of the Atlantic City School District. “Attending college can have a tremendous financial impact on families, so we are humbled that Mayor Small is thinking about our students. We ask all students who are eligible to take advantage of this opportunity.”

Mayor Small has formed a scholarship committee to review applications and decide who will be awarded a scholarship. He will not be part of the selection process. The “Mayor Marty Small, Sr. Scholarship” Committee consists of the following members:

·         Chairman Mayor Small

·         Co-Chair Dr. La’Quetta Small

·         Co-Chair Pamela Fields, City Employee

·         Toro Aboderin, City Chief Financial Officer

·         Stephanie Marshall, City Council

·         Christina Noble, City Director of Youth Services

·         Milton Chowdhury, City Multicultural Services Employee, Atlantic City Bangladesh Community

·         Bert Lopez, Hispanic Association of Atlantic County

·         Richard Ney, Venice Park Civic Association

·         John Randall, First Ward Civic Association

·         Lisa Givens, Westside Neighborhood Association

·         Helen Kioukis, Chelsea Neighborhood Association

·         Alex Marino, Stockton University

·         Maryam Sarhan, Atlantic City NAACP

·         Dr. Natalie Devonish, Atlantic Cape Community College

·         Chaia Jennings, Atlantic City High School Guidance Counselor

·         Bishop Robert Hargrove, Fellowship of Churches of Atlantic City and Vicinity

The application can be found on the City of Atlantic City website, acnj.gov. Applications, along with all required material, can be submitted via email at greatday@acnj.gov, mailed to the Mayor’s Office at 1301 Bacharach Blvd., Suite 706, Atlantic City, N.J. 08401, or dropped off in person at the Mayor’s Office on the 7^th floor of City Hall. The deadline to apply is June 5, 2023.