FREEPORT, Ill. (WTVO) — A Freeport family has started a new scholarship fund to encourage academic excellence among African-American students.
The Sellers family has deep roots in the city, with three generations and six Freeport High School diplomas worth.
The five Sellers siblings launched the scholarship fund to honor their parents’ legacy of prioritizing education.
“This scholarship is a testament to the belief that talent and potential are not confined by zip code or family history. my family is a living testament to the transformational power of education,” said Sherrill Sellers.
The Rachel and Roy Sellers Sr. Scholarship Fund is named in honor of her parents, who she said passed down a legacy of hard work and educational achievement to each of their five children.
“My mom and dad have always emphasized education and the value and importance of knowledge. And we have, as siblings, have for years been trying to do this. And so through some savings, through some real strategic efforts on all of our part, we were able to finally make the room. Rachel’s summer scholarship happened,” Sellers said.