SAN FRANCISCO (November 1, 2021) – Houston Rockets’ Jae’Sean Tate announces his $8,000 Jae'Sean Tate BUILT Scholarship. The scholarship is available for minority and BIPOC service workers in the coffee and food industry who have had to juggle school and work. The scholarship honors the hard work that minority students and graduates have demonstrated across the service industry, especially as they face more challenges than ever during the pandemic.
Tate had to earn everything, taking the unconventional route of playing internationally before getting his NBA opportunity. Tate spent two seasons playing in Belgium and Australia before making his NBA debut with the Rockets. At 25 years old, and with the help of a campaign backed by Houston’s local coffee community, he achieved NBA First-Team All-Rookie honors.
Today, Jae’Sean creates a unique scholarship program for minorities in the service industry. To kick off the scholarship, Jae’Sean will send a signed piece of memorabilia to the top contributor each month that the scholarship is running. The first top donor will receive Tate’s custom Halloween-themed shoes worn during his game on Sunday, October 31, 2021. The winner will be announced on Monday, November 8, 2021 via Instagram Live on his Instagram account, @o_tate.
Jae’Sean says, “Education is deeply important to me. I was a four-year student-athlete at Ohio State University, and graduating with a college degree is one of my proudest accomplishments to date. I’m inviting people from all parts of the country to apply for this scholarship on Bold.org. Each grant is for $8,000, which means that we’ll be able to select more winners as the value of the scholarship increases. To enter, record a one-minute video or submit a one page essay telling your story and explaining why you’d be a good candidate. Winners will be announced on May 8, 2022.”
Jae’Sean joins a long line of athletes and public figures who make a point of supporting education, including other Bold.org scholarship sponsors such as NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Tyrell Terry, professional tennis player Sloane Stephens, producer and DJ 3LAU, NFL Wide Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, Grammy-winning band Imagine Dragons, professional MMA fighter Cat Zingano, actor Terry Crews, singer songwriter Clario and actress Jameela Jamil.