BASSETT, Va. – Beloved actor, athlete, comedian and activist Terry Crews is stepping in to make sure one Henry County native can follow her dreams.
On Tuesday, Crews surprised Tahliyah Hodge, of Bassett, Virginia, with his $20,000 “Creative Courage” Scholarship. The scholarship was created in July 2021 and aims to help artists and creative individuals, such as Tahliyah, afford college.
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The art student was chosen out of thousands for the scholarship and said she plans to use the scholarship for her education in performing arts.
Hodge was told the exciting news by Crews himself over a Zoom call. During the video call, he encouraged her to keep chasing her dreams.
When Hodge discovered that she’d won the scholarship, she couldn’t help but be thrilled.
“The Terry Crews Creative Courage Scholarship will help me pursue my dreams. I’ve always wanted to pursue performing arts, and now that I’ve been granted an opportunity like this one, I can! I really just want to be successful in what I love,” said Hodge.
Crews, who was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, has had a passion for art since he was a child. While in high school, he worked diligently to perfect his craft so that he could afford college. His hard work helped him win both an art scholarship and a football scholarship, which ultimately led to him securing a pro football career in the NFL.
He says those scholarships were a stepping stone to his success.
Now, the accomplished actor, comedian, artist, athlete, producer and TV Host, wants to “pay it forward” by helping students fight for their dreams.
“An art scholarship helped me afford college; it changed my life. The Terry Crews “Creative Courage” Scholarship is my way of paying it forward, and I am so proud to award Tahliyah Hodge my $20,000 scholarship to help her pay for school. I’ve loved working with Bold.org to change the life of another artist chasing their dreams!” said Crews.
Crews is one of the many public figures supporting education on Bold. org. Previous scholarship sponsors include professional tennis player Sloane Stephens, NFL players JuJu Smith-Schuster and Brandon Zylstra, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, Grammy-winning band Imagine Dragons and others.
Watch the video where Crews met with Hodge to share the exciting news below: