TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Changing the world one college student at a time – that is the goal of the Esther Funds Foundation.
The Christian non-profit is dedicated to supporting and assisting college students so they can stay in school by providing emergency assistance and financial help for students in need.
Esther Funds Foundation was founded by Shayna Vincent in early 2023 and it has already helped hundreds of students navigate economic hardship and mental health struggles to help them stay in school. Those are challenges that Shayna said she knows well.
“As a college student, myself, I’ve also dropped out a few times due to mental health reasons and also due to financial reasons,” she said.
Leaning on her strong faith, and standing on a solid foundation of hard work and determination, Shayna was able to return to school and get her Associate Degree in 2023. Now, a fourth year student at FAMU, she says she recognized her own struggles in fellow students. Students like Samara Taplin.
If I didn’t have Esther Funds Foundation, I don’t think I would still be in college.
Samara connected with Esther Funds Foundation through Instagram in 2023. She says she was dealing with the ups and downs of life as a first generation college student when tragedy struck.
“In January, my sister died and the support Esther Funds Foundation has given me has been the best,” she said.
Drawing inspiration from the biblical figure Esther, known for her courage, faith and determination to bring about positive change, Shayna said she found her calling. She named her non-profit Esther Funds Foundation and got to work. The Lord’s work.
“Esther was a woman who walked with God in the bible and that’s my inspiration. I aspire to do the same. I aspire to walk with God and give back to these students as she did. She saw a need in her community and she went for it,” she said.
Esther Funds Foundation has grown fast in a year. There are now three collegiate chapters with one at Florida State College of Jacksonville, one at FAMU and a Tallahassee chapter that works with FSU and TSC students. The organization puts together donation drives, hosts workshops and fundraisers to give supplies and scholarships to students in need. Shayna said they hosted their first Back to School Bash on Sept. 7.
“We were able to give away thousands of school supplies, clothes, and groceries. We had different organizations from different campuses come and give out resources on physical and mental health,” she said.
Shayna’s struggle, now transformed into a calling much larger than herself.
“We envision a world where minority students are represented in the workforce by over 40 percent and we are increasing the graduation rate in the south east by over 50 percent,” she said.
Like Esther, Shayna Vincent is using her position to advocate for the people. Empowering and supporting students at a crossroads to overcome obstacles, stay in school, and achieve their full potential.
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