(Dallas – June 19) Derrick Smallwood, a sophomore, finance major from Desoto, Tex., this week has been named a Tom Joyner Foundation “Hercules Scholar”.
This future financial analyst will continue to learn and advise others to secure their future.At TSU, Derrick is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, the Freeman Honors College, and the Golden Key Honor Society.
Derrick still finds time to volunteer at a local community center and serve as a peer tutor on campus.
Texas Southern University, in Houston , Tex., is the Foundation’s School of the Month for June which is part of its on-going effort to help keep students in historically black colleges and universities.The Hercules Scholarship is named after Joyner’s father, the late Hercules Joyner, who was a strong supporter of higher education. To be a candidate for the scholarship, students must be male, attend a Foundation “School of the Month”, have a grade point average of at least 3.5, and be a campus leader involved in the community with a career goal toward making a difference in the quality of life for his race. The scholars each receive a scholarship grant of $1,500 that is paid directly to their school to help offset their college expenses.
Founded in 1998, the Tom Joyner Foundation (https://tomjoynerfoundation.com) has focused on its primary mission of helping to keep students enrolled in Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs). The Foundation has raised more than $60 million to help keep students enrolled in black colleges, has assisted more than 25,000 students and worked with more than 100 HBCUs. Each week, the Foundation announces outstanding male student scholarship winners, called Hercules Scholars, on the nationally syndicated radio show hosted by its founder, Tom Joyner.