HAGERSTOWN, MD - A Maryland Correctional Institution inmate group awarded a $500 student scholarship to Hagerstown Community College Wednesday.
The inmate group called "Prisoners Against Teen Tragedy" awarded HCC student Alethea Tomi-Layodare with the $500 Second Chance Scholarship during a special ceremony at MCI.
PATT is one of the longest running youth diversion programs in Maryland and awards the scholarship every year.
In order to be selected, a current HCC student must submit an essay. The theme for this year's essay was addictions and peer pressure.
"I feel very honored for the committee picking my essay, because it came from my heart, so I am glad that they felt my realness," says Tomi-Layodare.
"By giving away the Second Chance Scholarship, we're rewarding the individuals in our area that are setting good examples for our juveniles," says PATT adviser Sal Mauriello.
PATT raises the money for the scholarship through various fundraisers.
