Amazing: Student Creates App That Helps College Students Get Money For College

Many families across this country are still trying to rebound from the economic slowdown meltdown increasing the reliance upon scholarships to pay for college.

Christopher Gray, 21, a Drexel University junior and CEO/Founder of Scholly, has found a way to make finding those scholarships easier.

Gray himself has been very successful in finding scholarship funds.  He is known as the “Million-Dollar Scholar” after being awarded $1.3 million in scholarships.

Over the past three years, Gray has also helped other families manually scour through databases, and figured, “Hey, I need something that can help.  There has to be a faster way.”

Gray developed the answer in the form of Scholly, an app that uses eight specific parameters, like state, GPA, or race, to instantly filter through a deep directory of scholarships available for the prospective student.

“It’s extremely simple,” says Gray and that ultimately was the goal.

“The fact that it’s on the mobile (phone) really hits the audience,” says Soham Bhonsle, 21, a Scholly user and Drexel University senior. “It serves the need of its time. We want it on the go.”

Nicholas Pirollo, chief technological officer for Scholly, also offers that apps optimize searches compared to standard websites because they are more tailored to specific needs.

A recent study, conducted by Sallie Mae, shows that 39% of families used scholarship funds to pay for college during the 2012-2013 academic year and Scholly connects users with relevant scholarships in about five minutes.  Scholly’s database is updated monthly to remove scholarships that are no longer available, add scholarships, and refresh deadlines.

There is money out there to go to school.  Scholly has more than 10,000 downloads of the $0.99 app found in the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Scholly’s costs are intentionally positioned at an affordable price to serve more people that need it and boast a potential big payoff.

“Pay 99 cents and you may get $5,000 or $6,000 in scholarships.”

Scholly helps put the power of funding your education in your hands.

Source: http://www.blackbluedog.com/2013/08/news/amazing-student-creates-app-that-helps-college-students-get-money-for-college/

15-Year-Old Owns Million Dollar Tech Company

What were you doing at age 12?  Jaylen Bledsoe, now a 15-year-old sophomore from St. Louis, began building an IT company, Bledsoe Technologies, LLC.  Three years later, Jaylen’s company is valued at over 1 million dollars!

This young man has done what many people only dream of, while navigating the challenging and confusing tween to teen years.  Bledsoe Technologies is the #1 IT consultancy firm run by a minor in the midwest, and one of the nations fastest growing companies.

What started with two contractors has now expanded to 150 contractors.  So not only is he creating income opportunities for himself, but for others as well.

To accomplish what Jaylen has accomplished takes someone with dedication, work ethic, and wisdom.  Jaylen has accepted the success and attention he’s received with gratitude.  His hopes are to be a blessing and inspiration to other kids. Check out this quote from Jaylen’s blog:

Over the last few years, I’ve been able to motivate that kid who smokes weed all day, to go and learn about entrepreneurship…(motivate the kid) who plays video games all day, to go and learn how to develop his own video game…(and motivate the kid) who’s considered a nerd at school, and is bullied.

This is definitely a young man wise beyond his years.  He is currently working on a project for hotels that will allow you to check into your hotel from your smartphone, and use your smartphone as your hotel room key.  Sounds big, and I am looking forward to seeing how it turns out!

After he turns the tech and business world upside down, Jaylen plans to take his talents to Vanderbilt University  and then on to Harvard.  It’s going to be fun watching this young man work in the future!

Source: http://www.blackandmarriedwithkids.com/2013/09/15-year-old-owns-million-dollar-tech-company/

The Secret To Success: Audio Book

It’s officially here!!! “The Secret to Success” THE AUDIOBOOK! No actors, just me sharing my story with you. We tried several different editors and it just wasn’t what I had in mind, so we went back to the lab and what came out was crazy! I’m proud to say I know it’s a product that you will enjoy, but more importantly this audio book will help you to elevate your current circumstances if you follow the outlined principles. It isn’t just a good story, these are the exact steps your boy took to go from the streets of Detroit to the person you know today. Special thanks to Jamie Cook and Ben Rickert for working with the team and pulling this amazing project together. Now you can listen anywhere, anytime…

                               

Source: http://etinspires.com/the-audiobook-is-here/

Team Techno Greeks Enters FLL Robotics Competition

Please help Team Techno Greeks enter the FIRST Lego League (FLL) Robotics Competition.

Please Help Team Techno Greeks Enter the First LEGO League Robotics Competition

Team Techno Greeks is a new robotics team which meets in Atlanta, Georgia. We are under the guidance of Grow Up N Tech, a community organization that helps expose socially and economically challenged students to discover and develop a passion for science, technology, engineering and math. We are learning how to build LEGO Robotics in preparation to compete in our inaugural FIRST LEGO League competition. We are learning through hands-on monthly team meetings with the help of our director and mentor, Ronald Jones, the founder of Grow Up N Tech.

We are a community team; we are not sponsored by a school system and must raise funds to be able to pay our entry fees, LEGO robots parts and software, travel and other team related costs. Our director is a volunteer and will not receive any funds gained through this fundraising effort. All funds will be used for training and competition. This will enable Team Techno Greeks to expose our members to careers such as engineering, robotics, programming and other technological fields.

Source: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1828361638/team-techno-greeks-enters-fll-robotics-competition

At 89, First Nationally Syndicated Black Cartoonist Still Drawing And Giving Back

WEST SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – He sketched his way into the history books, now this famous cartoonist is sharing his gift of art with local kids.

Morrie Turner is the first nationally syndicated African-American cartoonist. He’s also still drawing and giving back to the local community.

Turner is 89 and is still sharing his talent and sense of humor with comic lovers.

“I’m doing my own life history in comic book form and I’m having a wonderful time remembering. And some things are difficult to deal with,” said Turner.

It’s been quite the journey, He’s been sketching since he was 8.

“I was a big fan of the Peanuts and I wanted to do a comic strip like he did. He does the comic strips the way I feel comics should be done,” said Turner.

But here’s how Turner made history: sketching the first black comic strip ever.

“I was surprised because I didn’t think the metropolitan daily newspapers would be interested in anything black,” said Turner.


But they were, and Wee Pals made its debut in 1965 in Chicago. But that contract came with strict rules.

“There were very heavy restrictions on me. In fact, I got behind because they rejected so many strips,” said Turner.

And much to the surprise of the higher-ups, those strips would later be published.

“So I just whited out the dates and changed them like it was new stuff, and they used them,” said Turner.

Today Turner is still sharing his work. Now a handful of other black cartoonists are following his lead.

“I felt I had a responsibility being the very first one,” said Turner.

Now he’s giving back at his church, delivering this artwork to the children’s center, and still sketching and loving it.

“That’s what I get out of bed for. I keep getting new ideas and I’m still drawing,” said Turner.

Turner was raised in Oakland, but he now lives in West Sacramento.

Source: http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/12/30/at-89-first-nationally-syndicated-black-cartoonist-still-drawing-and-giving-back/

4-year-old genius invited to join MENSA

Anala Beevers is just four years old, but she already knows the location and capital of every US state. She learned the alphabet at four months of age, then at eighteen months learned numbers in Spanish. The precociously intelligent youngster claims she's smarter than her parents, and both mom and dad agree.

Her genius has not gone unnoticed, and has led to an invitation to join MENSA, an international organization for the 'super-smart.' MENSA, which is mostly populated by adults, usually claims members with intelligence in the top 2% of the populace. Anala, who can also identify planets and dinosaurs, is in the top 1%.

"She keeps us on our toes," says her father Landon, who would like to see her get her own reality TV show. When asked what she wants to do when she grows up, Anala says she'd like to be a nurse.