The Forward Freethought Tuition Relief Scholarships is funded by generous FFRF benefactor Lance Bredvold. This year, the students were selected by Black Skeptics Los Angeles, an African-American humanist-atheist community-based organization.

FFRF has previously partnered with BSLA in its annual “first in the family” humanist scholarships for outstanding secular students of color.

In an article in Freethought Today, scholarship recipient Stephanie Avitia said, “I was introduced to atheism by a friend when I was in seventh grade. It’s nice to see that my generation is becoming more aware, especially how in Ethnic Studies classes we’re taught about the origins of religion and how it was used to enslave our people.”