Bradley Beal surprises four students with HBCU scholarships

Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal surprised four Ron Brown College Preparatory High School (RBHS) students who will be attending HBCUs in the fall with $3,000 scholarships yesterday (Thursday, July 2). Earlier this year, Beal led and arranged for 50 RBHS students to tour Howard University where students were able to meet with student ambassadors, members of the admissions staff and the President of Howard University, Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick.

Along with the scholarships, each student received a special giftbox that was dropped off at their homes, followed by a surprise video call by Beal. The scholarships and items were funded by the proceeds donated from Beal’s 2018-19 Seasonlong NBA Cares Community Assist Award, from which the two-time All-Star was awarded $25,000 to donate to a charitable cause of his choice.

Each giftbox contains a Microsoft Surface Pro and keyboard, a Wizards and Mystics Black Lives Matter T-shirt, a copy of the  No. 1 best seller book “Between the World and Me,” a sweatshirt of each student’s respective university, inspirational quote pins and a Wizards fanny pack with branded items.

The following are the scholarship and giftbox recipients:

Hassan Brunner

Age: 18

Hometown: Washington, DC

Attending HBCU: North Carolina Central University

Major: Kinesiology

Jarden Crosson

Age: 17

Hometown: Washington DC

Attending HBCU: Hampton University

Major: Business Administration

Christian Johnson

Age: 18

Hometown: Washington, DC

Attending HBCU: Howard University

Major: Finance

Justin Williams

Age: 17

Hometown: Washington, Dc

Attending HBCU: Norfolk State University

Major: Engineering

Beal, the 2018-19 Year-Long NBA Community Assist Award Winner, continues his charitable work with RBHS. In November, Beal sponsored buses for students from RBHS to take college tours at Lincoln University, Morgan State University and Salisbury University. Beal invited the students back for the Beal & Wall Thanksgiving Assist, as well as Monumental Thanksgiving Day Assist, where students were given turkeys and other dishes for their Thanksgiving meal. Beal treated 20 of his Young Kings to a special holiday dinner at Carmine’s DC in December, gifting them different books, supplies and tech equipment. In January, Beal coordinated with Chris Miller from NBC Sports Washington to allow the RBHS students to tour the network’s studios. Later in the month, Beal’s students took part in the Wizards’ annual Martin Luther King, Jr. “We Are Dreamers” Interactive Discussion, which allowed young men of color between the ages of 12 to 17 years old to have an open discussion on current events, their dreams and aspirations with six local male professionals from various backgrounds. This year the group created “Dream Boards” and learned how to utilize a dream/vision board to make a difference and impact in their life. Beal also accompanied 50 Young Kings from RBHS on a college tour of Howard University in February.

Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Bradley Beal found a way to connect with his little brothers at @RBHSMonarchs, granting four scholarships to HBCUs and providing gift boxes for college.#WizCares | @RealDealBeal23 pic.twitter.com/2LWNUtcneM

— Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) July 3, 2020