AUBURN HILLS — The Detroit Pistons are awarding $20,000 in college scholarships from the Come Together Foundation to high school seniors for the 8th annual Pistons Black History Month “Moving Detroit Forward” scholarship competition, sponsored by Sprite, Humana, and Family Dollar. Former Piston Rick Mahorn will host the competition in the West Atrium of The Palace of Auburn Hills on Feb. 12 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Eight high school seniors from — Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men, Communication & Media Arts High School, East English Village Preparatory Academy, Detroit International Academy, and Loyola High School, in Detroit; Hamtramck High School in Hamtramck; Carman Ainsworth High School in Flint; and Pontiac High School — will compete for a $10,000 grand prize. The second place winner receives a $5,000 scholarship and the third and fourth place winners will each receive a $2,500 scholarship.
The theme of the competition is “Moving Detroit Forward: In the spirit of Michigan Black History, what steps will you take to be impactful in the future?” Each student will be given two minutes to answer the question in the medium of their choice (such as spoken word, song, or essay) for a panel of judges.
Joining Mahorn on the panel of judges: Ray Scott, former Piston; Glenda Lewis, WXYZ-TV-7 anchor; Dr. Darrius, HOT 107.5 radio personality; Anqunette Jamison, WJBK-TV Fox 2 anchor; Sharon McClendon, WMYD-TV Channel 20 director of community affairs; Portia Roberson, senior White House staffer; Naomi Patton, senior director of public relations, Palace Sports & Entertainment; Courtney Elliott, Coca-Cola Refreshments Midwest & Great Lakes multi-cultural commercialization; and Gennifer Jeffries, Humana community relations manager.
The Pistons are also hosting an online Black History Month essay competition on www.pistons.com to award an additional $2,500 scholarship. High school seniors statewide can apply by submitting a 2,500-word essay by Feb. 15. The winner will be notified the week of Feb. 18.
All scholarship winners will be recognized at the Feb. 23 Pistons vs. Indiana Pacers game at The Palace.
