Southern Company ranked No. 19 on The Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list in 2022.
Southern Company and Disney have partnered with PROPEL and the HBCU Week Foundation to invest $100,000 in scholarships for students who will attend a Historically Black College or University (HBCU). Somalia Gilliard has been named the second recipient of a $50,000 PROPEL Student Impact Scholarship.
Gilliard, a senior attending Coretta Scott King Young Women’s Leadership Academy in Atlanta, is ranked second in her class. She plans to pursue a major in chemistry at either Alabama State University or Florida A & M University.
“I am blessed, thankful and honored to receive this scholarship, it’s a dream come true,” said Somalia Gilliard in a statement. “The pressure of figuring out how to pay my way through college has been lifted off me and my family.”
The PROPEL Student Impact Scholarship, provided by Southern Company in partnership with PROPEL, will be distributed in four equal, annual installments to its recipients. Djahnel Reid received the first PROPEL Student Impact Scholarship, announced during the HBCU Week college fair.
“We are honored to collaborate with our partners and recognize Somalia as the second scholarship recipient,” said Mike Anderson, Senior Vice President of Georgia Power and President, CEO of Georgia Power Foundation and Southern Company Charitable Foundation. “Education is a vital component of success. By alleviating affordability, one of the largest barriers to education, we are helping students achieve brighter futures.”
Gilliard is the president of the Student Government Association, a member of the National Honor Society, a member of the National Beta Club, and is a part of her school’s dance theater ensemble, varsity cross country and track and field teams. After completing her major, she plans to advance her education by pursuing a degree in dermatology. Her passion is to develop an organic line of beauty products for women.
“We would like to extend our congratulations to Somalia on this accomplishment,” said Waymond Jackson, interim CEO of PROPEL. “It’s our aim that support such as this will help elevate HBCU scholars and push them forward to pursue their dreams.”
