Faces of Education Reform

Anthony Samuels

Anthony Samuels is from one of the lowest ranked school districts in Pennsylvania. His high school, Strawberry Mansion in North Philadelphia, had a graduation rate of 30-34% in the 2017-2018 school year. The neighborhoods ran rampant with violence—Samuels knew kids that brought guns with them on their commute to school. In 2008, as the graduation commencement music had just ended, a graduate that Samuels had played basketball with was shot in the back. Before even entering his teens, Samuels had witnessed drug deals and death right before his eyes.

But Samuels was able to escape onto a better path—one with more educational opportunity and safety because of a scholarship program. Samuels’ mother knew he had to get out of Strawberry Fields, and saw an opportunity for him to attend Abington Friends. Being on the receiving end of a tax credit scholarship changed Samuels’ life. He became the first college graduate in his family and has had a successful career in entertainment and entrepreneurship in the years since. The scholarship program gave Samuels and his mother the opportunity for him to thrive in a school that was not bound by a zip code.

Samuels believes that the program saved his life.

For more information on the life-changing potential of tax credit scholarships, click here.