NBA’s Utah Jazz to Award A Full-Ride College Scholarship for Each Game Won During the 2020-2021 Season; 10,000 Degrees Selected to Administer Scholarship Program
San Rafael, Calif. (June 1, 2021) – 10,000 Degrees, an organization dedicated to empowering students to enter and graduate college in seven Bay Area counties, is pleased to announce a partnership with the Utah Jazz to help send underrepresented students in Utah to college. The NBA (National Basketball Association) team pledged to fund a four-year scholarship for a Utah university-bound student for each win during the 2020-2021 season.
The Utah Jazz chose to partner with 10,000 Degrees because of the organization’s strong reputation as a leading college success support organization and its nationally-recognized student support model. 10,000 Degrees will manage all awarded Utah Jazz scholarships and provide wrap-around student support. Through virtual near-peer coaching, 10,000 Degrees will help the scholarship recipients navigate their college journey with ongoing college and financial aid counseling. Additionally, the organization will provide guidance and assistance in the form of mentorships, and internship and job placement support.
“For the past 40 years, 10,000 Degrees has worked to help students from underrepresented backgrounds attend and graduate college, and we’re thrilled that our partnership with the Utah Jazz will result in more college success stories,” said Kim Mazzuca, 10,000 Degrees president and CEO. “Because of our reputation as the leading college success support organization in California and the fact there is no other organization like 10,000 Degrees in Utah, we knew it was our responsibility to step-in and ensure more students attend and graduate college. Support is as important as providing scholarships, and that’s where 10,000 Degrees comes in, regardless of geographic location.”
The Utah Jazz ended their preseason and regular season with 55 wins, which locked in four-year scholarships for 55 students from underrepresented groups in Utah. The team has pledged to also award a scholarship for each postseason win.
The first 30 scholarship recipients (one for each preseason and regular season victory the team had before the NBA All-Star break) will enroll as freshmen at one of six Utah universities in the fall of 2021. Those schools include Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, University of Utah, Utah 10,000 Degrees to administer Utah Jazz scholarship program for students from underrepresented groups. To view a video of Utah Jazz players surprising scholarship winners, click here. State University, Utah Valley University, and Weber State University. All scholarships cover the full cost of attendance for four years, including tuition, books, fees, and room and board. All students awarded scholarships met the financial need requirements. Additionally, 53 percent of the recipients identify as women, and 90 percent will be first-generation college students.
The remaining scholarships, for wins from the All-Star break through the postseason, will be awarded for students enrolling in college for the 2022-2023 school year. Applications for those scholarships will open at a later date.
“There is a gap between the number of students from ethnically diverse groups in Utah high schools and the number of those students who go on to post-secondary education, according to the Utah System of Higher Education,” explained the Utah Jazz in a statement. “The Utah Jazz scholarship program seeks to help close that gap, making the state a more equitable place for all.”
The Utah Jazz finished the regular season with the best record in the NBA for the first time in franchise history. As the number one seed entering the 2021 playoffs, the Jazz are seeking to capture their first
NBA championship title.
To learn more about the Utah Jazz scholarship program, criteria, and application process, please visit www.nba.com/jazz/scholarship.
To learn more about 10,000 Degrees programs and services, please visit www.10000degrees.org.
MEDIA, PLEASE NOTE: For questions, or to request an interview with a 10,000 Degrees or Utah Jazz representative, please contact Alaina Baum at alaina.baum@10000degrees.org or at (415) 451-4019.
About 10,000 Degrees:
10,000 Degrees® is the leading, equity-focused scholarship provider and college success nonprofit in California that supports students from low-income backgrounds to and through college. 10,000 Degrees serves more than 12,000 students and their families each year with comprehensive wraparound support, college and financial aid counseling, near-peer alumni coaching, scholarships, and financial aid management. Unlike most other college success organizations, there is no GPA requirement to participate in 10,000 Degrees programs. Powered by Fellows, near-peer coaches who are recent college graduates and often alums of 10,000 Degrees, they are embedded in high school and college campuses to help students navigate life both on and off-campus and throughout their college success journey. With this innovative support model, 10,000 Degrees achieves unmatched success rates: Over 80% of 10,000 Degrees four-year college students earn bachelor’s degrees, compared to 31% of their peers nationally. 10,000 Degrees community college students transfer to and graduate from four-year colleges at a rate that’s three times the national average. 10,000 Degrees students also graduate with 88% less student loan debt than the national average. 10,000 Degrees operates in eight Bay Area counties – San Francisco, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Lake – and works in 41 high schools, 56 community colleges, and 170 four-year colleges and universities across the nation. For more information about 10,000 Degrees, please visit www.10000degrees.org.