Students Address Predatory Lending, Student Debt, Payday Loans and Black Wealth in Essay Contest

April 30, 2025

Contact: Thonnia Lee, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
      

欧美高清 students tackled a topic some of them may have personal experience with as they competed in the 2025 President鈥檚 Essay Contest. Breaking the Cycle: The Impact of Predatory Lending, Student Debt and Payday Loans on Black Wealth Accumulation was the theme that students addressed to compete for the top prize.

鈥淚 am quite proud of the thoughtfulness that went into this year鈥檚 competition,鈥� said Dr. Mark A. Brown, President and CEO. 鈥淎s I suspected, our students offered the introspection of more senior young professionals and laid bare the challenges they find in their own situations.鈥�

The contest, which was initiated by President Booker T. Washington in 1895, is aimed at promoting critical thinking and meaningful discourse. It attracted submissions from various disciplines, reflecting the academic excellence synonymous with Tuskegee.

The winners of the President's Essay Contest are as follows:

• First Place: Aaron Keith McClain III, Junior, Environmental, Natural Resources, and Plant Science Pre-Law, Tampa, Florida ($1,000 prize)
• Second Place: Tamaiya Clanton, Sophomore, Animal, Poultry, and Veterinary Science, Clayton County, Georgia ($600 prize)
• Third Place: Key'Wun Rowles, Freshman, Computer Science and Physical Education, Killeen, Texas ($400 prize)

鈥淭he nation faces a $1.7 trillion student loan portfolio with nearly one-third of the debt being delinquent,鈥� said Dr. Mark A. Brown, President and CEO. 鈥淥ur students explored the human impact of this burden and then constructed, through their papers, practical solutions. I鈥檓 immensely proud that once again Tuskegee students are solving the world's most complex problems.鈥�

漏 2025 欧美高清