Although a college diploma isn’t a guarantee for brilliance, having the opportunity to get higher education may be essential for a successful career and life.
Namely, some 60 years ago, Calvin E. Tyler Jr. had to drop out from college since he couldn’t pay for it.
However, this week, the same college announced that he donated $20 million to help increase the scholarship fund launched in his name.
The Morgan State College is a historically black college located in Baltimore, Maryland, according to data from 1961 and Tyler had to abandon it in 1963 since he lacked funds.
He started working as an UPS driver.
Tyler Works His Way Up in the Company
Tyler was actually one of the first 10 UPS drivers in Baltimore-he worked his way up at the company and became senior VP of operations before he retired in 1998.
He also became part of their board of directors; however, he never forgot where he came from. Together with his wife Tina, they’re helping people who’re struggling to finish college because of money.
For this purpose, they opened up their Calvin and Tina Tyler Endowed Scholarship Fund in 2002. In 2016, Tyler gave $5 million to the school-the largest donation in the history of the school at that time.
Thanks to them, the college has given 46 full tuitions and 176 partial scholarships to 222 Morgan State students. Still, with the pandemic putting more financial burden on even more families, Tyler decided to increase his donations.
Tyler Ups His Donation to Help Struggling Families in the Pandemic
He gave $20 and this is believed to be the highest amount which the school got. Tyler explains that together with his wife, they became aware of the negative impact of the pandemic on youngsters trying to get education.
Since they have resources to help, they did it-they increased their pledge to the university and want to help more young people graduate and get into their next phase of life without debts.
According to the president of the university, David K. Wilson, through Tyler and his wife’s historic giving, the higher education doors are more open for generations of leaders whose financial setbacks may have prevented them from reaching their full potential.
The school notes that 99 percent of their students get financial aid. Still, the students applying for the scholarship have to meet certain criteria such as a minimum GPA of 2.5.
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