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Do you remember Riley Morrison? The precocious 9-year-old girl who wrote a letter to Steph Curry inquiring about why he didn’t include shoes for girls in his Under Armour sneaker line. Curry not only wrote back to the assertive basketball fan, but also collaborated with her to indeed create a purple girls' version of his popular ‘Curry 6’ sneakers that were later added to his line. Curry has since decided that proceeds from the sales of the shoe will now fund a new $30,000 scholarship to be awarded to a college-bound female student from the Bay Area who is interested in pursuing a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) field.
.@StephenCurry30 wasn't comfortable profiting off Riley's shoe design, so he went to @UnderArmour and turned it into a scholarship that will impact girls for years to come. #RuinTheGame pic.twitter.com/d72fvkP9E7
— SC30, Inc. (@SC30inc) March 8, 2019
The Stephen and Ayesha Curry Family Foundation launched the scholarship on March 8th, also known as International Women's Day. Each year the program’s selection process will seek to announce a new recipient on this day. Candidates will be identified on the bases of their demonstrated "aptitude for overcoming adversity, catalyzing change within her community and demonstrating excellence in a STEM-related field of study.” Recipients must maintain a 3.0 GPA while in college in order to remain in good standing with the scholarship. Funds will be distributed over a two-year time period.
During the Golden State Warriors vs. Denver Nuggets game on Friday, Oakland Technical High School senior, Vivian Wu, who has a 4.2 GPA, was announced as the inaugural foundation scholarship recipient.
We are thrilled to announce the inaugural foundation scholarship recipient, Vivian Wu. She is a senior at Oakland Tech where she boasts a 4.2 GPA and has completed 300+ hrs of community service as an advocate for marginalized communities, including survivors of domestic violence. pic.twitter.com/XE4F76a3x2
— SC30, Inc. (@SC30inc) March 9, 2019
Curry shared that after collaborating with Riley, he did not feel comfortable actually profiting from the sales of the shoe she helped to design. This concern fueled his conversation with Under Armour to turn the sales profit from the shoe into a sustainable award that would "impact girls for years to come."