Source: ScholarCHIPS, Inc.
WASHINGTON, July 1, 2026 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — More than five million children in the United States have experienced the incarceration of a parent at some point in their childhood, yet few organizations exist solely to support their path to higher education. On Friday, July 10, ScholarCHIPS will celebrate a milestone that demonstrates what is possible when these young people are invested in instead of overlooked.
ScholarCHIPS, the nationally recognized nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting college-bound students impacted by parental incarceration, will celebrate 15 years of impact during its 15th Annual Awards Ceremony on Friday, July 10, 2026, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the Historic National Press Club in Washington, DC
The celebration marks the organization’s largest incoming class to date, as 26 exceptional students from Washington, DC, Maryland, New York, Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, Arizona, California, and Alaska officially join the ScholarCHIPS family.
This year’s incoming class reflects the extraordinary talent and potential that exists within a community too often defined by its challenges rather than its promise. Among ScholarCHIPS’ newest scholars are aspiring physicians, anesthesiologists, nurses, physical therapists, lawyers, entrepreneurs, educators, engineers, filmmakers, musicians, environmentalists, sports managers, public servants, and other future leaders who are determined to transform their communities and industries. Many are first-generation college students whose accomplishments serve as a powerful reminder that a parent’s incarceration does not define a child’s future.
Over the past fifteen years, ScholarCHIPS has awarded more than $700,000 in scholarships and direct support to over 120 students, helping young people impacted by parental incarceration not only access higher education, but persist through graduation with scholarships, mentorship, mental health resources, technology, emergency assistance, career development, and a lifelong support network.
“Fifteen years ago, ScholarCHIPS began with a simple belief: that a parent’s incarceration should never limit a child’s future,” said Yasmine Arrington Brooks, founder and executive director of ScholarCHIPS. “Today, we celebrate not only our largest graduating class, but fifteen years of demonstrating that when young people are surrounded by opportunity, community, and hope, they thrive. Every student who walks across our stage represents resilience, brilliance, and the promise of a brighter future.”
This year’s keynote address will be delivered by Isabel Coronado, a citizen of the Mvskoke (Creek) Nation, a nationally recognized advocate for children of incarcerated parents, and a public health leader whose policy work has focused on keeping families together and reducing the generational impact of incarceration. Drawing on her professional experience and her lived experience as the daughter of an incarcerated parent, Coronado has become one of the nation’s leading voices advancing family-centered criminal justice reform.
ScholarCHIPS was founded in 2012 by Yasmine Arrington Brooks, a former CNN Hero, L’Oréal Paris Woman of Courage, and Washingtonian of the Year, whose own experience growing up with an incarcerated father inspired her to build what has become one of the nation’s leading non-profit organizations dedicated exclusively to supporting the children of incarcerated parents while pursuing higher education.
The annual celebration will recognize new scholars, graduating seniors, alumni achievements, and the generous donors, partners, volunteers, and supporters whose investments have helped transform hundreds of lives over the past fifteen years
