The power of education can transform lives.
Transcript:
This podcast was transcribed through a third-party application. Please disregard any misrepresentations.
Brad Caruso:
<silence> Welcome to Civic Warriors, brought to you by Withum. On this podcast, we bring the conversation to you, sharing, engaging stories that motivate and build consensus in the nonprofit community. This podcast is about the innovators, the leaders on the front lines of adversity, guiding lights in the nonprofit industry affecting change. And through their stories, we can all join forces to become civic warriors. Welcome to today’s episode of Civic Warriors, brought to you by Withum. I’m your host, Brad Caruso, leader of Withum’s not-for-profit practice. Today’s guest is Tierra Dorsey, president of the Central Scholarship Bureau. Central Scholarship is a 5 0 1 C3, not-for-profit organization that helps determine Maryland students build better lives and fulfilling careers by providing crucial support, enabling them to complete an accredited college degree or career training program. They’re an integral organization that provides cap funding education on financial literacy and advocacy work. As they embark on their centennial year, we have the pleasure of sharing their story. With that said, Tierra, welcome to the show.
Tierra Dorsey:
Thank you, Brad, for that kind introduction. And I thank you to Civic Warriors for this invitation to share information about Central Scholarship.
Brad Caruso:
Love it. Maybe if you could start, can you provide a little background to the audience on yourself and how you arrived at Central Scholarship?
Tierra Dorsey:
So, I’ve been president of Central Scholarship for the past, uh, three and a half years. I came to the organization from a background in business planning, planning analyst, and also as a major gift fundraiser for several large organizations. The last organization I was at was Goucher College, which is located here in Towson, Maryland. And, uh, had the pleasure of being their executive director for a little over a couple of years. And really out of the blue, I got a phone call from a headhunter introducing me to Central Scholarship. It was an organization I was not aware of, learned as much as I could about it, and decided to take the leap. And I am so, so glad I did. It is probably one of the most fulfilling positions I’ve had in my career.
Brad Caruso:
That’s great to hear. And, and, uh, sometimes those leaps of faith do provide those fulfilling opportunities. Talking about the organization itself, what drove you to it? And I guess, you know, from a background and, and programmatic information, you know, maybe talk a little bit more about, about the programmatic aspect of, uh, Central Scholarship and, um, I know when I, you know, first got introduced and saw a little more about your organization, and we, we had an initial conversation. You know, I was intrigued by the, the concept of gap funding and, uh, and, and that, that kind of drew me to it ’cause I hadn’t heard that term before. Maybe share a little bit more about the programs and what you’re accomplishing over at Central Scholarship.
Tierra Dorsey:
Oh, sure. So, you know, when I mentioned, I did some research on the organization and I, because it’s one I was not aware of. I found out that there was this group of visionaries. They came together, they wanted to transform their community. Moses Rothchild, a philanthropist in the Jewish community, he really wanted to show how the power of education can transform lives. So this organization, what it does, it provides the necessary and essential funding and education for students who are looking to go off to college or who are looking to take the path of career development. And how they do this is that they provide gap funding. And what Gap funding is, is the students have already been accepted into their colleges of choice, and they receive their financial aid package. And upon reviewing what they’ve received, there’s a gap. So that’s where Central Scholarship steps into the void.
Tierra Dorsey:
We help fill that gap. So the main financial access that they gain if selected as one of our scholars is financial. We provide scholarship support for undergraduate, graduate, and career training programs. But more importantly, we also provide financial literacy program, which truly is near and dear to my heart because at the end of the day, what we are trying to do is provide students with knowledge, information to make a sound choice on where they’re going to go to college, or if they’re going to determine they’re going to take that path of career training. The organization also provides zero interest loans. So in trying to fill that gap for our students, we recognize we can’t do it all. We have limits. Uh, all of our funding is coming from very committed philanthropic dollars. And when we can’t fill that gap, we offer zero interest loans. And what we found is that through our education program, College Cash, we are helping students and families understand how significant it is to be able to receive this type of loan.
Tierra Dorsey:
Because at the end of the day, what you borrow is what you pay back. And what we’ve realized is that a lot of our students have been taking out loans and don’t understand. They don’t have a clear understanding of exactly what it is they’re getting themselves into. And it’s also one of the reasons why as a country, we find ourselves in a position where we have so many families, generations of families that are in student debt. And it’s primarily because many, we’re not taught or have a clear understanding of exactly what it is they’re getting into when they sign off on these loans. So it’s one of our programs, our financial literacy programs that I am truly proud of. And it’s the program that, in my opinion, truly helps families make informed decisions.
Brad Caruso:
I love that. And, and your programs resonate so closely with me. Just, uh, you know, I know, I know. I’ve experienced that. I, I’ll never forget being in college, probably, I figured it was my sophomore year or junior year where, you know, I got my financial aid package and mo- most of my college was finance via aid and a couple scholarships. And I remember they were like, okay, you have to write us a check for, you know, $4,000 by this date, or you’re not registered for your classes. And I remember being like, wait, what? <laugh> <laugh>. Like, like what does that mean? You know, you know, you’re 19 years old, or I was 19 years old at the time. And, and you know, sadly I was going for an accounting program ’cause I’m an accountant by trade, so maybe I should have known this. But, you know, ultimately I was like, oh, I have to come up with this.
Brad Caruso:
So I, I got very fortunate that I had a, a close family friend who actually fronted me the funds to cover that. So I was able stay in college.
Tierra Dorsey:
Oh, nice. Yeah, yeah.
Brad Caruso:
But, but exactly that. I, I was fortunate that, you know, someone stepped up that was a close friend of ours and did that. But to your point, I mean, you’re, you’re doing that for many, for, for thousands of individuals who otherwise would not. And I think for those that are going to college, they, you know, some folks that are, you know, maybe their parents pay for it or it’s, it’s fully funded. They, they lose sight of the fact that there’s a lot of individuals that $2,000 makes the difference between whether they stay in school or can’t actually, or can’t take a full semester of classes. And so it’s so relevant, the programs that you have,
Tierra Dorsey:
Brad, believe it or not, as little as $500. And I say little, I, I don’t wanna, uh, demean or diminish, uh, the value of a dollar, but someone who is not able to pay a $500 bill that can prevent them from staying in school. So college Affordability is something that we teach and explain to students and their families during that College Cash, financial literacy program. And we do, we break it down. We break down what is, you know, federal and state funding, the difference between private scholarships and, and truly, again, understanding student loans. And what we found, and I know I’ve been doing this now for, uh, over 20 years, is it can be so confusing because each college provides a different type of financial aid award letter, and I, I, I kid you not, I, I want to help in the area of legislation to make it mandatory that every financial aid letter is written exactly the same because it’s, it’s an area that causes so much confusion. And we went as far as on our website, um, central-scholarship.org, we have a blog section where if you, uh, put in the search financial aid award letters, we show you the different types of award letters that you could possibly receive and how to interpret that information. We’ve received so many hits on that one blog alone.
Brad Caruso:
Oh, interesting.
Tierra Dorsey:
And it’s primarily because it’s, it really is confusing when everyone is sending out different letters showing, uh, the affordability. Um, we just realized we, we had to help out a little bit more in this area.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. And I, and I love that you do because it, it definitely, it’s one of those topics that, uh, it’s talked about a lot, but I don’t know that there’s ever a definitive, you know, like if you polled a, a series of, you know, 17 through 20 year olds and said, you know, ask them some basic questions. I, I bet they’d have a hard time, uh, responding to them. Because at the end of the day, it’s, you know, I don’t think you realize the financial commitment to college, especially if you’re self financing or, or taking out loans to finance it until such time as you have to make that first student loan payment. It’s like, wait a minute, I have to pay $800 a month for the next 30 years.
Tierra Dorsey:
<laugh> Yes!
Brad Caruso:
That’s not what I signed up for. I don’t remember signing that piece of paper, or I do, but I don’t think it was that much. And compounding interest in all those topics with at a 8 to 10% interest rate, it gets, uh, quite intense quick.
Tierra Dorsey:
It does. And, and, you know, um, and, and explaining to our, our, our families the difference between, like you said, subsidized and unsubsidized loan. And you’d be surprised people don’t read the fine print. And when you don’t read the fine print is when you, you really do get in in trouble. A $5,000 loan can easily balloon to 10 and $15,000, and you’re like, how did that happen? So again, it, it’s one of the programs we have that I’m so proud of, and we offer it virtually, uh, and we offer it, um, in person. In fact, my team is out today at Poly Western High School, uh, providing a college cash seminar and, and helping the juniors and seniors there.
Brad Caruso:
Love it. Love it. And you know, just some of the things you mentioned, I’d love to explore it a little bit further too, is when you talk about financial literacy and you talk about some of the areas that you’re personally assisting with, if you were to provide your top three of like, you know, what are the most important tips that you provide, or if you were a student you think they should know before making a decision on their, call it post-secondary education.
Tierra Dorsey:
What I would say is have a serious conversation with self and with your family, and truly make the decision and try to understand what is it you really want out of college. We like to say, look at this as a business that you’re investing in. What is gonna be my return on my investment? Is it to go to a school to have, you know, to say, I went to college and had a great time. They, you know, they were the top party school. Or is it to go to college to really define who I am and see if my strongest interest is an area in which I seek to gain more knowledge and perhaps take that knowledge and build a career? I think students today recognize the importance of understanding self. And I think they need to look at college as that, helping them understand who they are, but also recognizing this is an investment.
Tierra Dorsey:
And look, you know, what is the possible return on this investment? What do you really want? I would also say to parents, help the students understand what college affordability really means. Let them know if you’ll be able to help them. You know, I had one student who for quite a, quite a while, was so eager to go to this one specific school, only because a friend of theirs told ’em it was the best thing to do. They did no research. They didn’t realize it was in a, a rural area. They just, you know, my friend said, this is the best place to go. Um, it may be the best place for your friend, but not the best place for you.
Brad Caruso:
Mm.
Tierra Dorsey:
So take the time to, to do your homework is what I would say to families. Again, because we are in a period of time where there’s so many families that are held back because of their student loan debt.
Tierra Dorsey:
I, I would say to them, please speak with someone to understand the true cost of attending college. And recognize that there are other options out there. I mentioned earlier, Central Scholarship provides scholarship support for students who are looking to go to college, but we are also providing support for students who are looking to gain, uh, certification in specific areas. I think that for such a long time, we’ve been told, in order to be successful, you had to have a college degree. And I’m like, define success for yourself. And sometimes you’ll find that, you know what, we need electricians, we need plumbers, we need those service industry areas that keeps the train on the track.
Brad Caruso:
Yep.
Tierra Dorsey:
And you could have such a successful, prosperous career in those areas. We want to show you how it’s done. We partner with organizations like ABC Construction and, uh, healthcare organizations to show students that there are different paths.
Tierra Dorsey:
And, and we provide funding for that program year round. We accept applications year round, and we grant fundings, uh, quarterly. So it’s the one area I will say is growing tremendously. We saw over a 30% uptick in applications, uh, for our career training programs just over the past year. And I, I truly do believe it’s because people were taking a step back and recognizing that, you know what, I can be successful, uh, with or without a degree. And we are here to help show them the pathway to get there. And I, I, I, that’s again, it’s another program that I absolutely love.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. And, and interestingly enough, this is the first time that, um, you know, we, we’ve really heard a lot about, um, organizations that will, uh, you know, fund the, the trades, if you will. And, you know, you, you commonly do not see a lot of scholarship funding externally for, uh, trade school attendance. You know, most of the time you see it for, um, post, you know, uh, higher education, if you will, or getting a associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
Tierra Dorsey:
Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>.
Brad Caruso:
Um, but, but you know, rarely, you know, we don’t, you don’t see often organizations that will fund that. And, and it sounds like that’s a, a very integral and important part of what you do. And, um, it sounds like, you know, you’re seeing an uptick in that, uh, you know, field, if you will, of individuals where maybe college, uh, higher education in the college setting or the, the bachelor degree is not necessarily the route they want to go. Um, but the trade route is integral and important and really provides a great career. And we’re also seeing shortages in that field, I believe, externally. So I love that you fund that.
Tierra Dorsey:
Yes. And, and I, I just wanna share a, a great story of a young man who applied here. Um, he wanted to get his CDL license. He wanted to, you know, drive tractor trailers. And he had a degree <laugh>, he had a bachelor’s degree. And he, he said to me, he goes, I had my bachelor’s degree because my family told me I had to do it, but I always loved the idea of driving tractor trailers. So he was so inspiring. Um, so we said, you know what? We wanna support your dream. And today he owns three trucks. He drives for some of the largest supermarket chains, and now he has employees. And we did profile him one year. And, and again, it’s, it’s one of those stories that it’s okay. Uh, time has a tendency of changing your mind. It’s okay to continue dreaming. It’s okay to say, you know what? I wanna go back and continue my education. And, and we see that as a plus. Um, sometimes when you, you know, you’re 17, 18 years old and you know, you’re, you’re going to college and you’re getting that degree and you have your mindset on one thing, or you’ve been convinced of one thing, Hey, you can come back and change your mind and there’s someone out there who wants to support you. And we’re with that one organization that wants to support you.
Brad Caruso:
I think that’s phenomenal that you do that. My sister went to a college and, and went for a four year degree, and then, you know, didn’t wanna necessarily incur further debt, going to further education. So, you know, let’s say she wanted to be a doctor or a dentist, then on top of your bachelor’s degree, then there’s further further costs. So she ended up going back to dental hygiene school and doing really well. And, and now she’s a dental hygienist full time. And it was a great career move. And I’d say that because yeah, it was one of those just situations of, it’s very difficult to say what you wanna do. And, you know, I think it’s important that there are organizations like yourself that help, um, you know, may, maybe you’re right, maybe, maybe the degree that you were pursuing isn’t necessarily what you wanna do for a living, and you didn’t realize that going into it.
Tierra Dorsey:
Mm-Hmm, <affirmative>. Mm-Hmm. <affirmative>.
New Speaker:
Um, and, and also, you know, there, there is a extreme need in the world and, and an extreme importance to various different trades and trade schools that exist that, um, you know, you’re further, and I love this story you just told, I love that, you know, an individual, you know, goes through realizes, Hey, this isn’t for me. But then, you know, it’s not someone that’s saying, Hey, this, you know, I don’t wanna try hard, or, I’m not, you know, putting the effort. It’s just, Hey, like, I went through four years of school and this doesn’t seem like the career I wanna do, but man, I really have an interest in this topic over here. Or I really wanna be a truck driver, or a plumber or a carpenter. And, you know, and then, but obviously they’re already probably consumed with some level of debt from going through their four years that, oh, I don’t know that I can afford going back to school.
Brad Caruso:
You know, I don’t know that I can do that again. And the fact that you’re, you’re funding that, um, fills a significant need in the world. And also, you know, I love the success stories because they purport, you know, the benefit of your organization. They promote the benefit of, you know, individuals, just the financial literacy aspect you spoke about. Right. Well, some, some of that may have been, been able to be avoided if, you know, some of those conversations came up earlier. And some of that’s just life. You know, you go through life and you figure it out. But it, it, it, I I appreciate that you have multiple programs, that it’s not just funding, but it’s also, well, before we fund that, or before you fund, you know, your funding yourself. Like, let’s talk about it. Let’s have a financial, yeah. Let’s have a financial conversation about what this means in the short term in the long term, and make sure we fully understand it. And some of the other, you know, short pitfalls people fall into with, uh, taking on that kind of debt.
Tierra Dorsey:
Absolutely. And again, I, I, I have so many success stories I can share, but I, I wanna share one more on, on the college side. So we had, uh, one of our graduates, uh, the class of 2024, graduated from College Park. Yay. I love College Park. Um, and she was able to do it debt free. She, she graduated. We taught her the importance of, uh, understanding, um, scholarships and how to go about it. Um, I know you asked me earlier about, you know, some top tips. Um, one of the tips that I didn’t mention is that, um, when you are applying for scholarships, and again, they’re private scholarships, but they’re also funding that you can get from the, uh, federal and state funding. You should never stop applying for scholarships. You, the entire time you’re in college, you should be applying for scholarships. We teach you how to stack scholarships.
Tierra Dorsey:
We teach you about the term called, um, how, gosh, it slipped out my head that quickly. ’cause it happens so often. Uh, scholarship displacement. We teach you how to have the conversations with, uh, colleges with regards to appealing your financial aid package. We teach you the, the tips and tricks of the trade to help you graduate in four years with zero debt. And we have a few, I, like I said, I’ve been here almost four years. I know of three who have taken the information we provide. It’s hard. It is hard work. I’m not gonna make it sound like it isn’t, but if you do it the proper way, if you put in the time you can get through four years and have zero debt, and, and that’s what we’re after, that type of success is what we want.
Brad Caruso:
Right. And, and you’re providing that knowledge that, you know, as I’m interpreting it and hearing it, that when someone graduates with whatever degree they, they graduate with, you’re providing them the best opportunity to obtain that education at the lowest personal cost to them, and providing them the best opportunity to succeed afterward. Because you’ve, you know, you’ve helped them tap into some of those resources that maybe they didn’t know existed. You’re helping them, um, identify, well, no, you may not wanna do that. ’cause the cost could be, you know, exponentially more because if you do do that, or, Hey, here’s additional dollars that can fund, uh, that as opposed to taking on, or here’s a zero interest loan as opposed to, um, taking on a, a, you know, a higher interest rate loan. Um, you know, you’re providing these students and these individuals with the best opportunity to really, really get out of college. You know, assuming they’re self-funding it, you know, with the least amount of financial burden that they otherwise would have.
Tierra Dorsey:
Exactly. Again, I, I, I wanna see the, you know, younger generations being able to have families and, and purchase homes and, you know, statistics and studies have shown, um, students and, uh, that attend college, uh, here in Maryland, no matter what state they’re in or they’re from, they come back and they contribute to the economy. I love Maryland. I would love to stay here at Maryland, but I wanna educated workforce, and I want a workforce that helps all. So what we’re doing, we contribute to workforce development. Um, and again, I think that should be important to everyone.
Brad Caruso:
Oh, it definitely benefits society as a whole, without question, because just affordability of housing. I mean, if you have, uh, you know, your student loan payments and then you have your house payment, that creates a, a stress, a burden, um, you know, de-motivation in certain cases. I mean, there, there’s a lot of factors that roll into that, that, um, what you’re doing is, is easing that financial burden, which is also creating more productive workers, more productive, uh, individuals. You’re, you’re allowing people more of an opportunity to be in the workforce. They may otherwise not have been, be in the right profession that maybe they, they’re getting into now. And cost was not as they were able to do that because cost was not as much of a concern. A whole variety of factors that, um, you know, it’d be hard to pinpoint any one of them. But at the end of the day, yeah. Um, it, it sounds like you’re, you know, contributing substantially to, you know, the overall workforce.
Tierra Dorsey:
Like I said, that group of visionaries a hundred years ago, they knew the importance. And again, I, I’m just, I feel honored to be the president of this organization. Uh, like I said, this, I have been moved. Um, it taps into my higher ne higher level need to give back and to be able to hear and speak with our students and hearing the impact that we’re making on their lives, it’s gratifying. It’s absolutely gratifying.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah. I love it. As you mentioned, this is your centennial year, and for those that are out there that you know, have ever been involved in an organization or, you know, worked for one, um, that they’ve been around for a hundred years, you know, you, you know that there’s a lot of work that goes into it. Um, you have to adapt over time, uh, to the changes in the economy, to the changes in, um, culture to the changes in, you know, a whole host of, you know, variety of factors, um, technology and the like. So, uh, maybe talk a little bit about, um, you know, the journey of Central Scholarship itself to get to the point and maybe talk about some of the, you know, bigger picture impact that you’ve had. I mean, you’ve talked a lot about it already on, um, some specific examples, but, you know, over a hundred years, I’m sure that impact is multiplied and, and quite substantial.
Tierra Dorsey:
When the organization began, uh, the focus was on helping, uh, Jewish men be able to prosper in their communities, be able to provide for their families, be able to, to support the community as a whole. And as time has gone by, uh, they’ve broadened their scope. And as I say, as the world turns, so many things impacts, uh, higher education and the ability to have access to higher education. What I will say, this organization, again, started out with being able to provide smaller scholarships to Jewish men. And they evolved, uh, to recognizing the importance of women <laugh>, who entered the workforce, uh, during the, uh, I believe World War I is when it started providing support there. Every generation, there’s, there’s change. The one thing that’s constant is change, right? So they went from providing scholarships and loans to providing access to, uh, specific businesses where internships could be held.
Tierra Dorsey:
Uh, small little things, uh, ensuring that, uh, families can be successful. What I will say, there’s been so many changes. I, I wanna focus a little bit on the here and now and what’s happened because this organization, yes, has been adaptable. And when changes come about, uh, not just changes in the community, but changes in laws and policies, this organization has been able to pivot. Recently, we’ve had one of the biggest change that’s happened, um, deals with students going to college and having to fill out the required, uh, free application for federal student aid, uh, FAFSA for short. That literally just happened for academic year, uh, 24-25, that that application had not been changed in over 30 years. But with the change, unfortunately came a lot of, uh, hiccups as it relates to, uh, the data, um, and the programming, software programming, uh, the delay in getting the information out to students and families.
Tierra Dorsey:
And what has happened is that because it was, it was, it was wrought with so many errors and challenges, um, a lot of individuals, a lot of families made the decision that they are not going to college, uh, or that they couldn’t afford it because of errors in tabulating, um, the, the actual need, financial need and what, what federal and, uh, funding would provide. What we experienced here is that we, again, we provide gap funding, but we are not able to provide funding unless we are aware and have documentations of what the colleges are providing. That’s why it, it’s gap funding. Our decisions are based on what the colleges are able to provide us on what they are able to provide students.
Tierra Dorsey:
The hiccup was one that was heartbreaking because it truly did impact our low, um, income families and our minority families who are, uh, reliant on the federal, uh, funding that’s being granted. So what we find, what we had to do as an organization is that we had to extend our timeline for when our applications were open. And we also had to extend our, uh, scholarship granting period. We realized we are working a little closer with the colleges and helping to understand, uh, and helping them understand students are not able to attend because they have not, or not able to apply here at Central Scholarship because they have not been able to provide the data that we need in order to make the decisions on how much we can grant. And it may sound slight, it may sounds like a, a small pivot, but the impact on any nonprofit organizations, colleges, uh, the impact and the change that FASFA made this year was so detrimental to so many families.
Tierra Dorsey:
Um, we are most hopeful that the cleanup <laugh> has happened, and the Department of Education, um, is working on ensuring that for academic year 25-26, we won’t have to jump through as many hurdles, but they’ve already explained to us that, uh, the FAFSA will be delayed again. But at least this year, they’re being a little bit more transparent. And they’ve put, um, they’ve added, uh, additional resources to help organizations like mine deal with the changes that are happening at that, at the top, at that organization. Um, again, we don’t know what tomorrow will bring as it relates to higher education, but what we do know is that it’s constantly changing. Uh, and how we look at these changes and how we address these changes is going to be important. I, I refuse to have a defeatist attitude. I refuse to, to give up. I, I won’t give up on the students.
Tierra Dorsey:
I, I take the time to understand what’s happening in the industry. I take the time to ensure that my team understands what’s happening in the industry, and then we pivot when we have to. But the biggest pivot this year for us, had to do with the changes that were made to the FAFSA application. And those changes will continue. So I, I mean, I, I, Brad, I can go on and on <laugh> <laugh>, but what I will say is that I also have to give credit to Central Scholarship Board of Directors, because they too, are staying abreast of what’s happening in the higher education industry. And they’ve been so supportive and understanding that we can’t remain stagnant. We have to ensure that we are the organizations that parents and, and families can come to as experts in the fields. And when we don’t know, we have access to those who do <laugh>. And that’s what it’s about, being able to provide this information to these families so they can make truly educated decisions as it relates to higher education.
Brad Caruso:
And it’s so important, and, and you’ve been doing it for so many years and being successful at it, that, you know, I hope that you continue to do that. But there’s, as you mentioned, there’s a lot of, there’s challenges with time, and, and the one thing that’s always certain is that change will always occur if, if you were a, if you were a, a newer, not-for-profit, you know, what, what, what are some other factors or what are some things that you’ve gleaned that, that you feel, you know, the core values of Central Scholarship itself, that, that, you know, you, you’re around for a hundred years. What are some of those things that you feel others can glean from that, that kind of drove your success, uh, as an organization for that, for that long period of time? And, and, you know, foreseeable future as well.
Tierra Dorsey:
It truly is, it, it’s a commitment to students, um, understanding the importance of investing in their, in your community, understanding that, you know what, it’s, it’s, sometimes it’s, it’s, it’s bigger than just self. As I said before, we have a lot of selfless people who, I think in general, people are giving, people wanna help others. And this is an organization that decided they wanted to help students. They wanted to provide career opportunities for all. They wanted to continue to see their communities, their neighborhoods, and the state of Maryland thrive. Um, there’s also a humbleness about it, you know, um, we have some supporters who’ve been with us, and, and this is sometime unheard of. One of our, one of our biggest supporters, the Strauss Foundation, have been with us from the very beginning. Oh, wow. And I can’t say enough about the Strauss Foundation because of the commitment that they have and, and strengthening communities.
Tierra Dorsey:
Um, BG&E, I can’t say enough about that organization. They recognize the importance in investing in our generation of students. And I, I, I’m fortunate, again, being here for the period of time that I’ve been here, there are so many others who are just learning about our organization. We’ve been known as, you know, Maryland’s best kept secret. We support students throughout the state of Maryland. We don’t just focus on one county, one area. We are supporting everyone. And our goal is to make people aware that we are here. Um, giving back, understanding it takes a village <laugh>, I think, who was I, I heard that the first time from, uh, Hillary Clinton so many years ago. But it really does. Um, and again, when people take the time, and, and I’ll ask your audience, take some time, go to my website, central scholarship.org, learn a little bit more about us.
Tierra Dorsey:
Feel free to give us a call. Everyone on my team welcomes people calling and, and asking questions about the organization. Find out ways in how you can support, we value your time. I mentioned earlier, we’re celebrating our centennial. Uh, the event is going to be held on, uh, Wednesday, November 6th at Maryland Live. Um, we are there to celebrate the accomplishments of our students past, present, and future. And we’re gonna celebrate who we are, you know, helping students navigate that, you know, paying for college. We’re gonna celebrate. And if you wanna celebrate with us, go to our website, uh, see, buy a ticket, support our cause, come out and celebrate with us, learn about who we are. We, our doors are wide open and my arms are wide open to welcome you. So I, and again, I, I hope, uh, your audience recognize, as president of this organization, I, again, it truly is an organization worth knowing, worth being a part of, and worth supporting. And, and I, I’ll ask that they do just that.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah, I love that. And it sounds like over the, over time too, one of the things I, you know, kinda heard you say on the, on the funding side and, and with a lot of the partners you work with, is that, you know, over time you’ve obviously formed a significant amount of, of partnerships, um, and that help, that help enhance the success, you know, um, and, and clearly you care deeply about the mission, care deeply about fulfilling that mission. And, and that’s one of the reasons why you’re so successful is, is, uh, you know, building those partnerships and, you know, being true to the mission of the organization and staying true to that, even with changing times. And, you know, as, as you’ve said, you’ve, you as an organization has adapted, uh, over that time. You know, everything you did a hundred years ago is not identical to what you do today, but the philosophy of, you know, we’re providing the next generation with an opportunity to succeed, you know, still isn’t, that’s not changing, that’s continuing forward and inviting others to your celebration, which as you said, is probably gonna be a, uh, a great time.
Brad Caruso:
And, and just being there to, uh, celebrate the success of both the organization as well as those that have, um, been fortunate enough to cross paths with the organization and be recipients of funding from the organization. So I, I, I love that message.
Brad Caruso:
So when are the Baltimore Ravens gonna win the Super Bowl?
Tierra Dorsey:
Okay, This is our year. Okay. Lamar Jackson, he got this. I I, you know, we, everyone thought it was last year, but no, this is our year. The team is coming together and Okay. I actually have money on it. <laugh> <laugh>. This is, this is our, the year The Ravens, and I’m excited for him.
Brad Caruso:
Don’t the Baltimore Ravens have a, uh, a running back that they acquired this year in the name of Derrick Henry. Isn’t that a,
Tierra Dorsey:
Hello!
Brad Caruso:
Isn’t he one of the best running backs that Yes, he played the game a long time. Yeah.
Tierra Dorsey:
<laugh>, yes. He’s, oh my gosh. It’s, it’s an exciting year. This, this is gonna be our year.
Brad Caruso:
Yeah,
Tierra Dorsey:
We’re due, we’re due.
Brad Caruso:
It’s a big year. And, uh, you know, I think, uh, you know, I’ll be unpopular for saying this, but I think everybody wants to see a team that’s not the Kansas City Chiefs win the Super Bowl this year and the Baltimore Ravens are a great candidate for it, given, uh,
Tierra Dorsey:
<laugh>.
Brad Caruso:
Given their past success and, and effort as well as they have some really talented players that have done so well for so long that, uh, they’re deserving of it. You know, you could tell that,
Tierra Dorsey:
Yes they are.
Brad Caruso:
They’re very deserving of it,
Tierra Dorsey:
And we got the best fans. Baltimore Raven fans are the best.
Brad Caruso:
Shout out to Baltimore Ravens fans out there. I’m sure there’s a few of you listening,
Tierra Dorsey:
<laugh>.
Brad Caruso:
So I guess I’ll, uh, I’ll, I’ll kind of wrap it up here and just say, um, and you mentioned this briefly, but, um, you know, maybe reiterate a little bit and, and if there’s any other
information you wanna share, but, but how else can the audience support, um, support your mission at Central Scholarship? And, you know, as you mentioned, maybe reiterate how they can go, where they can go to get more information.
Tierra Dorsey:
Yes. So one of the biggest ways that they can support is, uh, I mentioned earlier our applications for scholarships opens up October the 16th, and we receive thousands of applications. And every year we, we, uh, seek volunteers, uh, to read the applications. We, we provide training in what we’re looking for. Uh, so that’s an, an area in which, uh, we always need support volunteer readers for our applications. Um, we also, you can support our organization again, uh, we are gonna be launching our Torch of Opportunity campaign at the, at the gala. Uh, and, you know, the campaign is built around three pillars. We’re trying to amplify our scholarships. We are also empowering education by expanding our financial literacy, uh, courses. And we’re, you know, we’re empowering support by increasing operational sustainability to say that we’ve been around for a hundred years, we wanna be around for another hundred years.
Tierra Dorsey:
So we have defined those three pillars as a part of our Torch of Opportunity. Uh, we are gonna ask, support us in how you can either with your time, with your talent, or your treasures, and please, I ask that your audience go to my website, uh, it’s central-scholarship.org. You can learn all information with regards to not only the campaign, but you can learn about our programs that we offer. You can get information when we’re doing our, uh, college cash seminars, uh, in per in person and virtually. Um, and you can really, if you go to our blog section, we have so much valuable information as it relates to not only our programs, but as it relates to college affordability and college access. So that’s what I wanna, uh, end on. And, and I, again, I I want to thank the Civic Warriors for inviting me to participate.
Brad Caruso:
Thank you so much for, uh, for your time, energy, and, uh, sharing more information about an organization that’s doing so much good for the world.
Tierra Dorsey:
Thank you, Brad
Brad Caruso:
And Warriors out there. Thank you so much for listening. And, uh, subscribe and meet us right back here for another episode of Withum’s Civic Warriors.
