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Nick Cannon Pays Off HBCU Students’ Debt Upon Graduation

Seven students were the beneficiaries of the generous gesture.

Nick Cannon is making life a lot easier for seven HBCU students when they graduate.

The actor and show host announced on his nationally syndicated talk show, The Nick Cannon Show, that he’s providing relief for student loan debt for seven soon-to-be-grads. The students explained on Cannon’s show the obstacles they face while striving to earn their degrees.

NC A&T’s Christian Kornegay says he overcame a learning disability to get accepted into the Greensboro HBCU. Mackenzie Estrep spoke about working three jobs to help pay for tuition at Saint Augustine’s University. Sharandica Midcalf didn’t have a place to live and was told by a school counselor she didn’t have the GPA to get into college. She now attends Winston-Salem State University. 

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“I was so moved by y’all’s stories and the obstacles that you’ve overcome that I gotta help out,” Cannon told the students. “Once you earn your college degree, we’re wiping out your personal student debt. Every single penny.”

In conjunction with the Thurgood Marshall Fund and the United Negro College Fund, Cannon is will pay off the debts once students have earned their degrees.

Kornegay took to her social media to thank the show that changed her life.

“I cannot thank you enough!” Kornegay wrote on Instagram. “You’re an inspiration to many especially myself in media realm! This has been a life changing experience granting me the opportunity to continue my education and push forward to graduate college! THANK YOU”

Cannon himself graduated from Howard University and has previously supported HBCU grads on his TV show Wild-N-Out.

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