For A Bright Future Foundation Unveils its Fintech Innovation Scholarship Awardee 

PR Newswire 3 min readThe Foundation recognizes Mariah Hicks as an exceptional scholar pursuing a career in the field of Computer ScienceMIAMI, Jan. 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Louis Hernandez Jr.’s Foundation For A Bright Future (“For A Bright Future”) (“FABF”), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the needs of underrepresented and underprivileged children through education, healthcare, the arts, and youth leadership development, awarded its 2024 Fintech Innovation Scholarship to Mariah Hicks, 19, of Illinois. Louis Hernandez Jr.’s Foundation For A Bright Future (“For A Bright Future” or “FABF”) has awarded its 2024 Fintech Innovation Scholarship to Mariah Hicks, 19, of Illinois. The Fintech Innovation Scholarship For A Bright Future empowers underrepresented and exceptional students to shape the future of fintech and make a lasting difference in the industry.Mariah Hicks is pursuing a degree in Computer Science with a minor in Economics at Spelman College, where she began her freshman year as of the fall of 2024. Mariah’s journey exemplifies resilience and determination. During her junior year of high school, her stepfather’s severe illness and subsequent amputations halved her family’s income and left them with $150,000 in medical debt. She overcame this challenge by taking on caregiving responsibilities for her stepfather and younger sister: balancing cooking, cleaning, and driving to appointments while maintaining a commendable academic standing. Despite these hardships, Mariah has been able to launch the Wisdom Workshop, a nonprofit tutoring service where she inspired a struggling student to embrace C++ programming. Her dedication to education and community service shines through her leadership roles as Key Club treasurer, a Peer Power student leader, and a mentor for FinPro World. Mariah remains passionate about addressing societal challenges and she plans to use her degree to tackle poverty and economic policy while continuing to uplift her community.”By alleviating my financial stress and any external misdirection from my studies, this scholarship will create positive impact leading to my future successes; for that I am forever grateful,” said Mariah Hicks.For A Bright Future Foundation was founded by Louis Hernandez, Jr., CEO of Black Dragon Capital℠, a multi-phased investment firm focused on advanced technologies in high-growth segments that strengthen economic stability within communities. Committed to illuminating the path to success, the foundation provides scholarships emphasizing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), financial technology, healthcare, and education. These opportunities are tailored to uplift students from underserved demographics, including single-parent households and families with military backgrounds.For A Bright Future empowers underserved communities by championing equal access to education. In 2024, the Foundation received nearly 6,000 applications, underscoring the c