LEXINGTON, Ky. — A partnership between a Lexington-based business and a government organization aims at helping minority seniors at Bryan Station High School, interested in a criminal justice career, attend college.

ONE Lexington, which has the goal of reducing violence, and Galls, a supplier of public safety equipment and uniforms for members of law enforcement, the military, security, fire, emergency medical services, the postal service, public transportation and more, have created the “Be the Change'' College Scholarship Competition. The scholarship is an opportunity for a rising Bryan Station High School seniors of color, committed to attending a Kentucky college, or university, pursuing a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, or a related field, to be awarded a $20,000 scholarship for any four-year college within Kentucky. 

“This is a game-changer,” said Devine Carama, director of ONE Lexington, hip-hop artist and activist. “I know if I had this opportunity growing up, it's something that could shift a generation and entire families. When we talk about equity, which many people are talking about, this is equity. This provides an opportunity for these kids to be a part of the long-term solutions within their community, but also just get an opportunity to do what they want to do. For us, it just makes sense.”

The scholarship will provide a maximum of $20,000 for a single academic year and is awarded based on academic merit and achievements, such as leadership, excellence in arts or sports, or volunteer activities benefiting the community. The scholarship may be renewed annually for up to four years, depending on the recipient’s continued pursuit of the required degree path, academic record and community service activities.

“When you talk about disparities within the system, the No. 1 driver to those disparities is a lack of diversity,” Carama said. “What better way to remedy that than to be proactive and create more diversity within the system? This is an opportunity for kids who sometimes do what they can do to make things better, to do what they want to do, and what they're passionate about, and just have an opportunity to build a capacity within our own purpose and passion. That's what ‘Be The Change’ is about. When Galls came with us with the idea, it was a no-brainer. You don't see too many people of color in criminal-justice fields, and there's a lot of us that can be that change that we're talking about we need.”

Galls CEO Mike Fadden said the company’s partnership with ONE Lexington is about taking action, helping people and making a change.

“We're proud to partner with ONE Lexington on this great scholarship opportunity for local kids,” he said. “We're focused on the customer and our customers — our law enforcement, Lexington PD, Kentucky State Police — that's why there's a criminal justice component to the scholarship. And also, it's about being charitable. We're just really proud to be able to offer a scholarship here in the Lexington area. It's not so much about us, it's about the community, but from Galls’ perspective, our employees want to work for a company they can be proud of. Doing things, like this, certainly makes the people at Galls feel good about what we're doing in our community.” 

Brandy Ashford is the college and career coach at Bryan Station and a member of the school’s class of 2005. She said “Be The Change” helps her do her job when discussing different career opportunities and pathways with students. 

“A lot of students go into college undecided, so, I think, as of right now, what I would do is help students to look at this scholarship and the parameters to see where they might fall and where we can look and do a little research about some of the different career opportunities,” she said. “Then, they can make that decision. My conversation with students is, first: What are you passionate about? What is something that keeps you up? What is something that brings you joy? The conversation kind of goes from there.”

Ashford said she does speak with minority students about careers in the criminal-justice field and has discovered many of them have a desire and passion for helping their communities. 

“A lot of those students kind of look around and see how they're being affected and how their families may be affected,” she said. “But more so, what is it about these specific careers that you feel needs to be changed, and what needs to be brought out to the forefront so that we can make a difference?”

The plan is for the number of these types of scholarships to increase in the future, Ashford said, adding that she believes there is not enough minority representation in law enforcement in Fayette County. 

“Being an alumna of this school, I want the scholarship to grow,” she said. “I would love for other companies to get on board with different career pathways and allow students to go to college. We try to educate students about paying for college and the expenses and all that early enough that they can eliminate that barrier going forward. We have a group called Black Student Union here at Bryan Station, and there have been a lot of students that have joined because of what they see in our community and in the world, to bring some change and really gain and find their voices to make a change and be an advocate for their peers. I do see that a lot of students want to get on board and really work to be an advocate for change.”

The deadline to apply for the scholarship is Jan. 28. All application documents should be emailed to Carama at Dcarama@Lexingtonky.gov.