Rapper Jay-Z is helping theater and political science major Ebony Dixon ’15 pay for college. His Shawn Carter Scholar program aims to help students facing economic challenges stay in school by helping with tuition or other academic expenses. Dixon, from Alexandria, Virginia, is among 176 recipients for the 2014-15 academic year. Like many chosen to receive the rapper’s scholarships, Dixon is a first-generation college student. Her father died in 2012, and her mother is working on her own college degree while helping Dixon and her college-age brother through school. The Shawn Carter scholarship considers grade-point average and an essay and requires a community service commitment of recipients. But it also considers a student’s perseverance in overcoming obstacles. In Dixon’s case, it means less student-loan debt and, possibly, more freedom in choosing a career after college. She’s interested in acting professionally but also is considering law school. She’s on the executive … [Read more...]