Emily Lampa talks with rapper Dee-1. He is a middle school teacher turned rapper. He says he became a full time rapper not for clout, fame or money but because the platform that rappers have is so large and if you are a successful rapper you have the ability to influence the lives of all you listeners. Rapper Dee-1 says you can either speak life or speak poison into them. He said he was motivated to get into that field to speak real, righteous, and relevant content into their heads.
He says when he graduated college, he had student loan debt like so many Americans. He did a song the day he finished paying off his school loans off about the joy he felt because that day changed his life forever and the song was called Sallie Mae Back.
He says that song was so catchy that the video went viral and led to a partnership between him and the organization Sallie Mae. Now they are partnered along with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to give away college scholarships to high school and college students all over the country.
The scholarship is called the Sallie Mae Bridging the Dream Scholarship Program. The window for applications is open until March 8th. If you are a high school senior, you can win $10,000 toward your college education. If you are a current college student, you can win $2,500 toward your college degree.
All you need to do is apply at SallieMae.com/SallieMaefundscholarships. Twenty-five high school students will win a scholarship this year and 260 current college students will win a scholarship this year.
