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Students at Meharry Medical College are going into the Holidays a little bit richer this year. 

James Hildreth, president of Meharry Medical College, announced earlier this week that the Historically Black medical college would be giving their students $10,000 in cash. The gift is a part of the federal COVID aid package and comes from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund. The school has decided to give this money back to the students. 

The Tennessee school is known for producing a slew of successful medical professionals. 956 students will begin receiving the money this Wednesday in either a direct deposit or by check.

“We felt that there was no better way to begin distributing these funds than by giving to our students who will soon give so much to our world,” said Hildreth in a thank you video to the students that was posted online. “I know Black Friday shopping is tempting, but you’d be well advised to use the funds to pay expenses related to your education and training.”

Many institutions have used the COVID relief money to do great work amid the pandemic. Some schools have eliminated student debts, others have offered free tuition, and many have given out cash to students in a similar fashion to what Meharry has done. 

A plethora of people are struggling around the nation as the Holidays are approaching including some students. So, having a gift of $10,000 will go a long way to uplifting and motivating these students. College isn’t cheap, especially for students looking to study medicine. Being able to lift a little pressure off these students during the holiday season is something that can go a long way in setting these students up for success. 

Many will use this money as an investment in their future. And for a school like Meharry who has a reputation of producing Black excellence, this gift to their students could be a catalyst to increasing the numbers of Black faces in medicine.