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Dream Come True for Incoming Freshman

Quincy Phillips and his fellow seniors at Summit Academy Charter School received the surprise of a lifetime when they appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”

Quincy Phillips and his grandmother show their Purchase pride. Quincy Phillips and his grandmother show their Purchase pride.
For many high school students, being on national television would be a dream come true, but for Quincy Phillips, his appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” this past February was just the beginning.

When Phillips and his fellow classmates from Summit Academy Charter School in Red Hook, Brooklyn were flown to Los Angeles to appear on the show, he wasn’t sure what to expect.  

Two educators from his school, Cheryl Swift and Natasha Campbell, had appeared on the show earlier that month and received a gift on behalf of the school for $25,000.

But Phillips was shocked when he learned on-air that Ellen DeGeneres and Walmart had teamed up to offer all 42 students of the senior class full, four-year scholarships to the New York state college of their choice.

The donation, sponsored by Walmart, was the single biggest gift in the show’s history.

“I completely broke down in tears because I didn’t know how else to express my emotions. I was very honored to be apart of the whole experience,“ Phillips said.

The scholarship will allow him to pursue his passions at Purchase, his first choice school.

 “After I received my scholarship, I knew exactly what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. I had visited SUNY Purchase in the beginning of my junior year and I instantly fell in love with the college. I always was interested in the arts. My full high school experience revolved around Acting and Photography so I knew the school was the perfect school for me.” 

Phillips continues, “SUNY Purchase was literally the first college application I filled out and so after receiving the scholarship I just needed to make sure that I had to get accepted. So now that I am accepted, I can proudly say that I am truly happy to be a part of the Panther family and I will now and forever Think Wide Open!”

We look forward to welcoming Phillips at orientation this summer and wish him and his classmates good luck.

Watch the segment on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” here.