Anthony's Scholarship Story
Habitat East Bay strongly believes that homeownership is the foundation upon which academic achievement, civic engagement and community revitalization is built. The stability that a home brings to a family helps parents look beyond providing just the essentials for their kids, and encourages them to achieve more academically and within their communities.
Habitat East Bay strongly believes and statistics prove that homeownership increases the likelihood that a family's children will do better in school. According to researchers at the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, a homeowner’s child is 116% more likely to graduate from college compared to renters. The economic stability and social support systems that homeownership creates encourages young minds to remain focused on learning and their future goals.
Anthony Davis is living proof that homeownership helps young scholars achieve their greatest potential. His family lost their home in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and was one of the first Habitat families at the 105th Avenue development. He has lived in a Habitat home for the past 13 years with his parents and two sisters. During his development, Anthony was consistently encouraged to challenge his own notions of what he could achieve by his parents, Habitat volunteers, teachers and peers. They advised him to set his goals high and stay focused on what lay ahead. “I was always told to keep my dreams strong. Being surrounded by all of these people, I couldn’t fail,” he says. Anthony did just that. As a speaker at a Habitat East Bay breakfast he shared his goals with the audience, saying: “One day I hope to have a beautiful wife, a house in the Berkeley hills and to be the CEO of eBay.”
He has kept himself on track to achieve these goals. Participating in the College Trak program helped Anthony navigate the college and financial aid process. In fact, as college financial-aid deadlines approached during Anthony’s senior year of high school he wanted to share what he had learned at his College Trak meetings. With all of his applications submitted, Anthony setup workshops to educate other students about financial aid and college application processes. He was shocked to find that many students he spoke to never knew financial aid even existed, nor how to access it. “I felt so blessed to know about this stuff,” he says, “I felt like I was so far ahead of other kids that I was speaking to.” That spring Anthony graduated from high school and has recently finished his first year at CalState, Northridge Campus.
Anthony is a living example that homeownership helps families to focus on issues that go beyond providing the bare essentials. With the comfort of a home, parents can engage their children to dream, and take further ownership in the quality of their communities. This revitalization process all starts with having a place to call “home”.
