06.13.21
First Aid Beauty Founder and CEO Lilli Gordon and FAB AID ambassadors Keke Palmer, Elaine Welteroth and Phenomenal’s Meena Harris took to Instagram Live to announce the first set of winners in its 2021 FAB AID student debt initiative.
The beauty brand announced initiative in February 2020 to rescue recent college graduates from the often-overwhelming weight of student loans. After awarding 24 incredible winners in December 2020, First Aid Beauty expanded the program with a goal of paying off $1.5 million in student loans in 2021. The 2021 contest allows for a 10-year eligibility period for graduates of two-year and four-year undergraduate programs as well as trade institutions. As part of the program, First Aid Beauty will award up to $100,000 for each winner.
“Last year we paid off almost $1.3 million in student loans, and we have been thrilled to hear from many of the winners about how FAB AID has given them the opportunity to pursue new opportunities debt-and stress-free,” said Gordon. “We are thrilled to be able to continue this initiative in 2021 and award these five deserving individuals with the chance to start a new chapter without the burden of student debt. We can’t wait to hear how FAB AID has changed their lives!”
The first-round winners are:
• Danielle ($100,000 paid off) – Bronx, NY: Danielle is daughter of immigrants and the first person in her family to obtain a higher education degree. She is a clinical researcher in a pediatric hospital by day and a pharmaceutical technician focused on distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine in the evenings. She says that eliminating her loans would allow her to stop working two jobs seven days a week and help her family finally purchase a home.
• Kaylah ($47,539 paid off) – Maple Grove, MN: Kaylah is a Deaf art major and creative photographer. A first-generation college student, Kaylah is receiving her undergraduate education from the University of Minnesota with the goal to change the lives of people with disabilities. Upon graduation this summer, she wants to pursue a career in advertising and cites a need for more representation for people with disabilities. It is her passion to show the world that a Deaf woman like herself is more than capable to hold a leadership position and make decisions.
• Jamelani ($52,404 paid off) – Eugene, OR: Jamelani grew up in a single-parent household in a rough neighborhood and credits sports and her passion for healing others as her motivation to pursue higher education. She currently works as a cardiopulmonary nurse, advocating to improve working conditions, and as a virtual trainer to help people improve physically and mentally. Without student loans, she hopes to establish a community scholarship fund and start a family.
• Shelby ($26,720 paid off) – Campbell, CA: Shelby is a graduate of Santa Clara University and the University of Minnesota, where she studied public health and epidemiology. She is pursuing a career in research focusing on community-based participatory research and has a goal to help reframe the narrative around often-misrepresented data on marginalized groups.
Additional winners will be announced this fall; applications are open until July 15, 2021, according to FAB, which is owned by Procter & Gamble.
The beauty brand announced initiative in February 2020 to rescue recent college graduates from the often-overwhelming weight of student loans. After awarding 24 incredible winners in December 2020, First Aid Beauty expanded the program with a goal of paying off $1.5 million in student loans in 2021. The 2021 contest allows for a 10-year eligibility period for graduates of two-year and four-year undergraduate programs as well as trade institutions. As part of the program, First Aid Beauty will award up to $100,000 for each winner.
“Last year we paid off almost $1.3 million in student loans, and we have been thrilled to hear from many of the winners about how FAB AID has given them the opportunity to pursue new opportunities debt-and stress-free,” said Gordon. “We are thrilled to be able to continue this initiative in 2021 and award these five deserving individuals with the chance to start a new chapter without the burden of student debt. We can’t wait to hear how FAB AID has changed their lives!”
The first-round winners are:
• Danielle ($100,000 paid off) – Bronx, NY: Danielle is daughter of immigrants and the first person in her family to obtain a higher education degree. She is a clinical researcher in a pediatric hospital by day and a pharmaceutical technician focused on distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine in the evenings. She says that eliminating her loans would allow her to stop working two jobs seven days a week and help her family finally purchase a home.
• Kaylah ($47,539 paid off) – Maple Grove, MN: Kaylah is a Deaf art major and creative photographer. A first-generation college student, Kaylah is receiving her undergraduate education from the University of Minnesota with the goal to change the lives of people with disabilities. Upon graduation this summer, she wants to pursue a career in advertising and cites a need for more representation for people with disabilities. It is her passion to show the world that a Deaf woman like herself is more than capable to hold a leadership position and make decisions.
• Jamelani ($52,404 paid off) – Eugene, OR: Jamelani grew up in a single-parent household in a rough neighborhood and credits sports and her passion for healing others as her motivation to pursue higher education. She currently works as a cardiopulmonary nurse, advocating to improve working conditions, and as a virtual trainer to help people improve physically and mentally. Without student loans, she hopes to establish a community scholarship fund and start a family.
• Shelby ($26,720 paid off) – Campbell, CA: Shelby is a graduate of Santa Clara University and the University of Minnesota, where she studied public health and epidemiology. She is pursuing a career in research focusing on community-based participatory research and has a goal to help reframe the narrative around often-misrepresented data on marginalized groups.
Additional winners will be announced this fall; applications are open until July 15, 2021, according to FAB, which is owned by Procter & Gamble.