When Chasity Lorquet attended a career development program through the DeKalb County Police Department, she didn’t intend to go to college.
She said she didn’t see the harm in going through the program, since she wants to eventually become an esthetician, but the program convinced her she might need more education. Now she’s weeks away from her first day at Georgia Gwinnett College, and she received another surprise Wednesday afternoon — a $500 scholarship.
“I’m just very grateful for everyone who contributed to all of this and for helping me,” Lorquet told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution after receiving her oversized check. “I’m thankful for it.”
The DeKalb County Police Athletic League Career Development Program is a recent initiative by DeKalb police to developer career aspirations of youths through workshops and networking sessions. DeKalb police spokeswoman Michaela Vincent said Lorquet is among the second class to graduate from the four-month program.
The $500 scholarship was donated by Entertainment Manager Michael “Blue” Williams and his company Family Tree Entertainment.
Lorquet graduated from Martin Luther King High School in May 2021. She credited members of the Police Athletic League for encouraging her to attend college to further her business knowledge before pursuing an esthetician program.
“It opened my eyes to a lot of opportunities ... you have to have an education in order to have more opportunities available for you, so that really changed my mind,” Lorquet said.
She plans to study business management at Georgia Gwinnett College, and her classes being Aug. 9.
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