Over $35 million in scholarships were offered to 136 academically talented Black high school students through the help of PwC, formerly known as PricewaterhouseCooper, an audit and assurance, tax and advisory services company.

Through PwC’s 15-month Impact program, rising juniors with a competitive academic background, strong standardized test scores, demonstrated leadership skills, extracurricular activities, and convincing essay responses and in-person interviews are selected to participate.

"The financial landscape for most families is no less challenging today than it was during the recession. In some cases, scholarships can be the deciding factor in not only where, but whether a student attends college. The ability of our Impact Scholars and their families to secure robust financial aid packages has been an important measure of the Impact program's success," said Niloufar Molavi, partner and chief diversity officer of PwC.

The African-American student recipients hailed from Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. They will head to college in the fall.

(Photo: The Plain Dealer/Landov)