Undergraduate student Evan Silvers, who is majoring in Communication and Sociology with a minor in Diversity, was awarded $5,000 from the LAGRANT Foundation. The Foundation celebrated 15 years by awarding $250,000 in scholarships to students nationwide.

“I am honored and very appreciative to the LAGRANT Foundation for granting me this opportunity,” Silvers said. “I also want to give thanks to those in my corner who supported and continue to support me in my aspirations.”

The Foundation’s motto is “funding dreams into reality,” while their mission is to increase the number of ethnic minorities in fields of advertising, marketing, and public relations. Silvers is African American and Hispanic, and has recently found that what he wants to do and what he is good at falls into the category of public relations.

“A lot of minorities are being looked past in fields such as these because they are lacking experience or prior knowledge,” Silvers said. “I think by the LAGRANT Foundation raising awareness and being so supportive in finding experience for students makes it a great opportunity that deserves tremendous amounts of credit.”

Now a senior planning to do a fifth year, Silvers has been working hard to get his GPA up in order to be competitive for scholarships. He is looking to work in public relations in the entertainment or hospitality field and plans to use the money awarded to fund another study abroad trip.

“I think that studying abroad is something that stands out tremendously in the PR and marketing world,” Silvers said. “A lot of the big agencies are international and I feel as if I have studying abroad as one of my ‘playing cards’ then it makes me stand out as an applicant showing that I can adapt to the culture around me.”

Silvers has done a summer study abroad trip to Barbados and also went on a national student exchange to the University of Hawaii. He said both opportunities gave him a chance to immerse himself in a new culture and identity, which is a great skill to have in the field he is hoping to join one day.