Persistence was the name of the game for University of St. Francis graduate, college athlete and Foundations of East Chicago (FEC) scholarship recipient Josiah Brown.

 

Josiah began his journey at East Chicago Central High School in 1996. After two years as a Cardinal, he transferred to Indiana Academy to finish out his final two years of high school.

 

“I applied for the FEC scholarship after hearing about it from my peers who were applying,” said Josiah.

 

Josiah received a four-year renewable scholarship in the amount of $1,000. He began his college career at Ball State University, but transferred to Taylor University after one year. Josiah then spent two years at Taylor before transferring to University of St. Francis in Fort Wayne, where he was able to play on the baseball team and, after three more years, finish his degree in business.

 

“My college experience was what I call ‘the great challenge of persistence’,” said Josiah. “I met a lot of great people along the way.”

 

Despite having to transfer to several institutions, Josiah did not give up on his dreams of an education.

 

“I came from a city that truly cared about the success and well-being of its young people,” he explained. “That gave me extra motivation to achieve and fight through the challenges.”

 

After receiving his business degree in 2006, Josiah worked various jobs. Most recently, he worked with Employer Relations at the Career Services Office of a university. This job allowed him to connect with local employers to help university students receive jobs and internships. After facing many difficulties in school, he chose to help make other students’ lives a bit easier.

 

After having a variety of college experiences, Josiah would recommend that current high school students apply for as many scholarships as possible.

 

“In college, any piece of additional funding is beneficial for tuition, fees, books, living expenses, etc.”

 

To learn more about local college graduates like Josiah, or to stay up to date on this year’s scholarship recipients, who will be receiving their awards next month, visit www.FoundationsEC.org.

 

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