Alumni Profile: Sidney Drake ’09

First Generation scholarship recipient gives back to FIU

By Martin Haro ’05

Sidney Drake ’09 has pledged $1,000 to support the university’s First Generation Scholarship Fund, from which he benefited while pursuing his degree in sports and recreation management at FIU.

The gift is eligible for a state match that will result in a total impact of $2,000.

Drake’s gift will support students who, like him, are the first in their family to attend college and have demonstrated financial need. The First Generation Scholarship Fund was established by the Florida Legislature in 2006 and is the only one of its kind in the United States to match private donations 100 percent. More than 2,100 FIU students have received a First Gen scholarship since 2006.

The need, however, is far greater than available resources – at present, the university has limited scholarship dollars to award to students with financial need. As a result, many talented and highly motivated students with limited resources are forced to attend only part-time or postpone their education altogether. Leveraged by state matching, gifts to the First Generation Scholarship Fund address a critical need by creating access to higher education.

“I know for a fact that the First Generation Fund directly benefits many students,” Drake said.

Giving back, the 23-year-old Jacksonville native says, was one of the first things he wanted to do after graduating. His generosity is fueled by a strong desire to pay it forward.

It is also another way for this member of the Alumni Association to stay “connected” to an alma mater that has given him so much.

“We’re trying to raise the profile of the university and the value of our degrees,” he said. “If that means I have to give back a few hundred dollars each year, then that’s what I have to do.”

Coming to FIU and qualifying for First Gen aid to pay for tuition and housing, Drake says, was a blessing.

In 2006, he transferred from Jacksonville’s Florida Community College. The way he sees it, the Magic City – and FIU – opened up a world of possibility.

“I wouldn’t be in the position I am now without having had the opportunity to come here,” he said. “I’m forever grateful. I’ve always wanted to be able to be in a position to give back, to say thanks to the people who made it possible for me to graduate from college when it seemed impossible many times.”

At FIU, Drake was actively involved with the Black Student Union and pledged Phi Beta Sigma. He focused on his academics, on becoming the first in his family to earn a college degree, beating his twin sister to the punch.

“Between me and my sister, who is younger than me, I was always the underdog,” he said. “That I finished first is pushing her to finish her degree.”

Today, he is in Orlando, where he is working with a local sports agent he met through one of his fraternity brothers. He is also pursuing a master’s degree in sports leadership and coaching at UCF. His goal is to become a sports agent and develop his own model to make sure his clients get the exposure they need.