Atlanta, GA — Bryce Thompson, a 24-year old entrepreneur from Atlanta, recently surprised 10 HBCU students with $100,000 in scholarships. Bryce, who is the founder of IAMS Foundation, is also a former HBCU student himself.
In partnership with the Scholly app, Bryce awarded the scholarships to help ease the tuition burden in the midst of the pandemic, increasing unemployment, and racial violence. Ten students were chosen from hundreds of applicants.
Bryce gave away the scholarships by visiting the hometowns of each of the HBCUs where the students are enrolled. This included a visit to Morehouse College, Texas Southern University, Bethune-Cooke University, Livingstone College, Philander Smith College, Prairie View A&M University, Hampton University, and Howard University.
Bryce, who once was a struggling student himself while at Morehouse College, promised to give back to other students ever since his uncle paid for his first year of tuition.
“I realize there are people who don’t have a friend or family member that can step in and help the way my uncle did for me,” he told Forbes. “I told myself that I would one day offer scholarships of my own to help students like myself avoid a similar situation.”
While still in college, he was able to establish TradeHouse Investment Group with his brother and fellow students. The company, which teaches financial literacy through investment strategies and offers economic progress to disadvantaged communities, has grown into a multi-million-dollar business in just 2 years.
“I am a testament to how giving back can change the trajectory of one’s life,” he shared. “If it were not for my uncle’s generosity, I wouldn’t have been able to attend Morehouse and develop a network of like-minded individuals who would go on to become my business partners. Investing in my community will always be one of the smartest, most valuable business decisions I’ll ever make.”
Follow Bryce Thompson on Instagram at @BThompsonOfficial