LEXINGTON, Ky. - For women suffering physical, mental, and sexual abuse at the hands of their partner, a lack of education can be a barrier to independence. The University of Kentucky hopes to change that by launching a new scholarship specifically for victims of domestic violence.
Carol Jordan, director of UK’s Center for Research on Violence Against Women, believes the scholarship is the first of its kind in the country because it provides a full financial aid package.
“It is one woman and hopefully one diploma. It’s our goal to multiple the number of scholarships we can have available because this is an extraordinary start for us, but it is just that. We know that there are hundreds and thousands of women across the state who need education.”
The Women’s Empowerment Scholarship Program is funded by a $100,000 donation from Verizon Wireless, which generated the money from its HopeLine phone-recycling program.
The Bluegrass Domestic Violence Program will assist with transportation and family support for scholarship recipients.
