Dexter Humphrey, an honors graduate of Louisiana State University, has made it his mission to help students with their financial need for the upcoming semester. Humphrey’s goal with his scholarship is to put more students through school than the government does with the disbursement of federal loans.
So what is his fundraising technique? Distributing FAMU t-shirts he has designed. The creative t-shirts come in two different colors: all black or white with “FAMU 4 Life” written in orange and green on the front. The t-shirts are fifteen dollars plus a shipping and handling fee of five dollars.
Although the scholarship fundraiser is a new idea of Humphrey’s, this will not be the first time he is responsible for making a positive influence in the community. Humphrey created a non-profit organization, “R.E.A.D 25 Inc.,” that implements leadership and literacy through reading books.
The organization encourages children to read over a million words during their school year, which increases reading comprehension and writing proficiency. The scholarship, however, promotes entrepreneurship in young black males and females. Dexter’s ultimate goal is to raise over a quarter million dollars.
A close friend of Humphrey’s, Valencia Jordan, a graduate of Florida Atlantic University and a former student of FAMU, said she thought that the scholarship was a great idea.
“I remember when I was an undergrad and I took out loans to pay for my tuition,” Jordan said. “If I was an undergrad now and I knew of this fundraiser, I would jump on this opportunity.”
Humphrey emphasized the importance of taking advantage of opportunities as well, challenging FAMU students to take their destiny into their own hands.
“Success is not an accident, it’s the result of a well executed plan,” Humphrey said.
T-shirts are available for purchase at www.dexterhumphrey.com.