Georgia State University Perimeter College – Decatur created the Learning, Income and Family Transformation (LIFT) program in 2017 with the support of State Farm. The program aims to improve student success rates by combining data-driven academic advisement and support with scholarships, employment opportunities and leadership training.

The first of the State Farm Scholars are expected to graduate in the next three semesters at a rate of 85 percent – five times better than the university’s overall graduation rate. The support from State Farm for the LIFT program has likely transformed the lives of these students and their families.

“The State Farm Scholars’ journey over the past two years has been nothing short of inspirational,” says DeWayne Griffin, Enterprise Technology Executive – Data. “It’s a proud moment to witness them and their families’ excitement, as well as playing a part as an organization in helping them realize their post-secondary educational dreams come true.”

State Farm Education Assist, part of the Neighborhood of Good^®, provides funding for a series of full-ride scholarships for these State Farm Scholars. The program expands staff support, supports emergency grants to help students cover life’s necessities, funds a mentoring program and supports financial literacy programming for students and families in South DeKalb communities.

State Farm employees volunteer time and expertise to these programs and students through professional development and networking opportunities. State Farm agents provide internship opportunities.

“The GSU LIFT/Education Assist is a unique public-private partnership that has been and will continue to be instrumental in transforming lives and creating a path for upward economic mobility in South DeKalb County,” says Mark Robinson, Philanthropy analyst. “The fact that education is the driver of this work is absolutely consistent with who we are as an organization.”

The LIFT program will be scaled to each of Perimeter College’s campuses this academic year because of the success at the Perimeter College – Decatur Campus.

The Goldman “Goldie” Barefield Scholarship is given to deserving students from Sweetwater High School in Sweetwater, Tenn., who plan to attend Tennessee Wesleyan University. Throughout the previous six years the scholarship has impacted 22 students with gifts totaling $58,100.

As a State Farm^® agent, Pamela understands the value of investing in her community. “This is a rural community, and I want to try to help as many young people to stay here as possible,” she says. “The biggest challenge is keeping talented youth here.”

For 2015 scholarship recipient Haley Tuck, the scholarship made her dream possible. With a severely disabled father and absent mother, Haley spent much of four years in high school in ways that most students don’t: grocery shopping, planning doctors’ appointments, helping her father and cleaning the house. She dreamed of attending nearby Tennessee Wesleyan University so she could stay home to take care of her family.

“I volunteered in local school systems half of each day during my senior year,” says Haley. “I also established my own business, Haley’s Embroidery and Sewing, and sold handmade clothes and monogrammed items through a Facebook marketplace.”

She put the money toward her tuition deposit, and she also received an academic scholarship from the university. But she knew she would need more.

Pamela’s generosity provided the additional help she needed.

“The $5,000 scholarship I received helped me to pay for the remainder of my tuition. With that extra push, I was able to graduate debt-free in three years with a bachelor’s degree in special education,” Haley says.

The 2018 graduate recently accepted a job as the special education teacher at nearby Philadelphia Elementary School. She’ll also be working on an online master’s degree from Liberty University in teaching, with an emphasis in leadership.

Thus, the scholarship has allowed two pairs of fathers and daughters to realize their dreams and positively impact their community.

“With my family on such a low income and Tennessee Wesleyan being so expensive, I tried to get every form of help I could get because going there had been my dream throughout high school,” Hayley says. “I wanted nothing more than to make my dad proud, and I knew that pursuing my dreams would make him happier than ever.”

Our parents teach us many lessons as we grow and become adults. They are there to catch us when we stumble and help us back up again. Sometimes there are lessons that are never taught. It’s then left to us to learn those lessons and share them with our own families.

Topher’s story

I was a freshmen at the University of Missouri and the first in my family to attend college. Everything was going as planned. Even though my best friend, my mom, was 400 miles away, we couldn’t be any closer. She was my mentor and a true companion.

A Tough but Valuable Lesson

Then it all changed when I got that call. My mom was traveling to see me for Parent’s Weekend but suffered a heart attack on the way. Later that night she passed away. The days, weeks, and months after proved to be the hardest of my life. In addition to the extreme emotional, intellectual and physical pain that comes with the loss of a parent, I was caught in a very difficult financial situation. She didn’t have life insurance.

I was forced to move out of my college dorm room and get a job that offered housing and a meal plan, as well as a job serving tables to pay for school expenses and bills. I worked 50+ hours a week while attending school full time. Now I was worried whether I would be able to afford school next year.

Passing along what I have learned

This experience has changed me in ways that I can’t even explain. But it has taught me the importance of planning for my financial future. Life Insurance would have eased the transition to a life without my mother. This is a lesson I will be sure to share with those around me, especially my own family as I plan for my future.

Life Lessons

The emotional strain of a parent’s death can be devastating to children and young adults. And for too many families, an untimely death also brings financial stress, making recovery all the more difficult.

Life Happens sponsors the annual Life Lessons Scholarship Program for college students and college-bound high school seniors. Qualified entrants who submit essays or videos about how the death of a parent impacted their lives are eligible for scholarship money.

Last year, Topher Otake received a Life Lessons Scholarship sponsored by State Farm. The $12,500 scholarship has given him the financial support to focus on his studies. He is a junior in college now, pursuing a degree in Music Education. He hopes to become a teacher after graduation.

For more information or to apply for a scholarship, please click here.