The Power of Belief: Celebrating 20 Years of Achievement
In 1999, a local immigrant entrepreneur who was beginning to gain financial success decided to reach out and help others achieve a foothold in the world. Through a series of fortuitous events, including an accidental introduction to a retired school counselor, he decided to anonymously help students at Lawrence High School. His vision was simple – reward academic excellence with the funds necessary for students to take their studies to the post-secondary level.
This personal philanthropy started small, initially helping one or two students afford a single year of college. By 2002, the program was proving a success and the Massiah Foundation was established to spearhead an increase in the scope of awards. Fast forward to 2019, 327 Lawrence High School students have received a Massiah Foundation scholarship totaling over $2 million in financial support for higher education.
CHALLENGES FOR LAWRENCE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS – In the early years of this philanthropy, Lawrence High School was one of only a handful of unaccredited high schools in Massachusetts. In 2010, more than one out of every four Lawrence students dropped out of high school and only 35 percent of 10th graders were “proficient” in math. As a result, the school district was placed into receivership by the state Board of Education in January 2012. At that time, the drop-out rate at the high school was more than 50%, and the district ranked in the bottom one percent in the state based on math and English test scores. Outside the school, the picture was not any brighter. Lawrence has traditionally been one of the poorest, if not the poorest, city in Massachusetts. From 2009-2013, 29% of residents in Lawrence lived below the poverty level, only 58% of residents had a high school education, and 92 percent of Lawrence students were enrolled in the government’s free and reduced lunch program.
While Lawrence High School students have faced, and continue to face, many educational and socio-economic challenges, the Massiah Foundation stepped in to provide students of promise a helping hand so they may recognize their full potential. Working together, Lawrence High’s faculty and staff and the Massiah Foundation have cultivated an environment where students can believe a path to success is achievable, if one is willing to work hard enough, as financial impediments to such success are removed.
RESULTS – Though there is still much work to be done, the belief has taken hold among students and administrators and the results are promising. Massiah Lawrence scholars have attended some of our nation’s most prestigious institutions, including Boston College, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, MIT, Stanford, U. Penn and others. These scholars have capitalized on their strong post-secondary education to become doctors, lawyers, engineers, entrepreneurs, community and civic leaders, teachers and more. The Massiah Foundation is proud to have played a small part in the tremendous strides made by these Lawrence High School graduates. It has been a privilege to support the many fine Massiah Lawrence Scholars.
The Massiah Foundation will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary of the Massiah Lawrence Scholars on December 7, 2019 at the Andover Country Club, in Andover, MA. Massachusetts Education Commissioner Jeff Riley will be joining the celebration as special guest speaker. Riley, the state commissioner, was the superintendent/receiver of the Lawrence public schools for six years before taking his current job. He led a team in Lawrence that brought "major improvements by shifting more resources and autonomy to the school level, expanding the school day, increasing enrichment opportunities, and ensuring all schools had great leaders and teachers," according to the department's web site. “Longstanding partners like the Massiah Foundation are invaluable," Riley said last week. "This year celebrates a 20-year partnership and commitment to recognizing Lawrence students’ potential and helping them access a better future.”