Copper Mountain College in Joshua Tree offers scholarship honoring George Floyd

Copper Mountain College in Joshua Tree is honoring the life of George Floyd with a memorial scholarship to help three students pay for their college education this fall. 

As the conversation around police brutality and racial inequality sparks up nationwide after the death of George Floyd, Copper Mountain College is honoring their students. 

“Our students of color are important and a huge part of our college and bring so much to our college so this was a way we could acknowledge what they were going through," said Sandra Smith, Executive Director of the foundation.

Executive Director of the foundation, Sandra Smith said professor Kay Jayo Meads rushed to start the fund in June along with the help of thirty-one donors. 

“We’ve got monthly donations going into this fund, we have annually contributions into this fund so this is a long time scholarship," said Smith.

The scholarship is set to award three students of color with $1,000 dollars towards next school year's tuition. 

One freshman ready to apply.

“With getting a scholarship like this it’ll line up things for me to do to make change," said Jaylan Bradberry, incoming freshman.

Students and staff are praising the move on social media: one comment reading.. "great job...this is a step in the right direction for this country.."

Another said "This is big time… might not seem like much but its a step…"

“I just think that it’s a great thing because it gives the opportunity for the college to give back to our community," said Bradberry. "With the name George Floyd it ties that black lives matter movement, it ties in the black community perfectly. It won’t be long that every college has something like this.” 

Smith said the college has about 1,500 full-time students and less than 10 percent of the student body is African American so it was important for the school to show solidarity.  

"All our students to know that we are listening, please help us , you can teach us so share that with us," said Smith.

For more information on the scholarship. Click Here.