Taylan Legarde (Madison Preparatory Academy ’22) will receive a $40,000 scholarship from the Future of STEM Scholars Initiative (FOSSI). 

FOSSI is a national program aiming to increase diversity in the chemical industry through scholarships for students pursuing preferred STEM degrees at HBCUs. In only two years, the program has already changed hundreds of students’ college trajectories.

As a member of FOSSI’s second class, Taylan can look forward to more than tuition dollars. The program offers mentoring; eLearning and professional-skills workshops; and internship opportunities with program sponsors like Dow, Chevron, and Deloitte.

At BRYC, Taylan worked with mentor Dwain Miller to complete the college admissions process. Together, they achieved a rare feat: Taylan was accepted into all 12 colleges to which he applied. He chose Southern University, where he’ll study mechanical engineering and join the school’s world-renowned marching band after winning a highly competitive place among the trombonists.

And, thanks to the scholarship, he’ll graduate from Southern without major financial burdens. This FOSSI Scholar’s future couldn’t be brighter.