IMPACT 2024

This Saturday, May 18th, The PLUS ME Project awarded its second annual My Story Matters: IMPACT scholarship awards to six inspiring high school seniors from across Los Angeles:

Wynter Allen

Taft Charter HS (attending Louisiana State University)

Matthew Echeverria

Orthopaedic Medical Magnet (attending Northwestern University)

Harley Huff

Chadwick School (attending USC)

Justin Kang

Downtown Magnets HS (attending UC Berkeley)

Jocelyn Ortega-Mendez

South Gate HS (attending UCLA)

Shariqa Sultana

Downtown Magnets HS (attending Bowdoin College)

These six My Story Matters: IMPACT scholarship recipients inspired, charmed, and uplifted the supportive community that came out to cheer them on. We heard remarkable stories of resilience, self-definition, revitalizing cultural traditions, and striving to make the world a better place.

Each recipient was given a $1,000 cash reward and a certificate of recognition from Los Angeles Mayor, Karen Bass. Thanks to our new sponsor (Fandango), each recipient also left with a $200 Fandango gift card for the movies--a great way to enjoy their time before college starts in the Fall!

As always, our community received and celebrated in style. Attendees wrote words of encouragement for each student to offer inspiration during difficult moments. They learned how to engage more deeply with PLUS ME to help ensure other excellent students get the opportunity to tell their story. And as an extra bit of fun, guests left with a caricature drawing of themselves or their loved ones.

Finally, after opening in Fall 2023, we have now formally launched the PLUS ME Storytelling Center! Click this link to learn more about the upcoming community events, how to get involved, and how you might use this new space in LA!