WASHINGTON, D.C. – The spirit of Ron Brown filled a downtown ballroom where hundreds gathered recently to support a scholarship program that bears the name of the late U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
The auspicious occasion gave attendees a chance to see firsthand how the 16-year-old Ron Brown Scholar Program continues to be a life-changing force in the lives of select African-American youth who’ve exhibited service and leadership—two things that a host of speakers said characterized Brown’s life.
The impacted youths included past and present Ron Brown scholars—as well as 18 scholarship finalists from some 6,300 applicants nationwide—who all say the program represents the opportunity of a lifetime and serves as a second family that supports them as they make their way through college and life.
They included individuals such as Christopher Lyle, 22, a Hurricane Katrina survivor and a 2008 Ron Brown scholar who is now a senior at UNC at Chapel Hill, where he is studying business and African-American studies.
Lyle said he has gone to study abroad twice during college, once in India and once in South Africa; worked two corporate internships; and now has a job lined up at a major U.S. bank upon graduation this spring—all accomplishments and experiences he attributes to the support he got as a Ron Brown scholar.
“Being a Ron Brown scholar has allowed me to take my college experience to the next level,” Lyle said during the third annual Ronald H. Brown American Journey Awards ceremony held here on Friday.
“Beyond just the funding and opportunities, it’s been through the mentoring, just being able to connect with scholars and have that family, support network, especially being an out-of-state student,” said Lyle, who hails from Ocean Springs, Miss., a coastal city severely damaged in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina.
