TBS Awards $25,000 to Four Grand Prize Winners of TBS HBCU Cash Out

Following Lance Gross and Keshia Knight Pulliam's exclusive reveal on "GMA 3: What You Need to Know" today, TBS is thrilled to announce the winners of four $25,000 grand prizes. Impressed by the numerous innovative and thoughtful entries, as well as the essential need to help Black Americans alleviate student loans, TBS increased the number of recipients from three $25,000 grand prizes to four - giving a total of $100,000.

Throughout Black History Month, TBS and ambassadors Gross ("Star", "MacGyver") and Knight Pulliam ("The Cosby Show", "House of Payne"), set out to financially empower recent graduates of historically black colleges and universities with its first-ever interactive TBS HBCU Cash Out™ social media contest. From February 8 - March 8, entrants creatively shared a 60-second video via Instagram, Twitter or YouTube on how attending a HBCU is helping them achieve their goals.

According to the U.S. Department of Education's White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, "Black college graduates have nearly $25,000 more student loan debt: an average of $52,726 in student debt, compared to $28,006 for the typical White bachelor's graduate."

This year's first-ever TBS HBCU Cash Out™ winners are:

• Anastacia C.C. Davis: A self-proclaimed "multi-hyphenate creative" and filmmaker from East Chicago, Indiana, and 2017 graduate with a bachelor's degree in theatre arts from Alabama State University.
• Emani Nichols: An Atlanta-based video director and multimedia journalist at a historically Black newspaper and 2020 Morehouse College graduate with a bachelor's degree in Africana Studies.
• Kevin Perry: A consultant for a global accounting firm based in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a graduate from Delaware State University holding a bachelor's degree in accounting (2018) and an MBA in data analytics (2019).
• Kalen Robinson: An aspiring Broadway star and a 2020 graduate from Howard University's BFA in musical theatre currently residing in Hyattsville, Maryland.

"I've been moved, I've laughed and I've been inspired by the depth of these entries," said Gross (Howard University). "These HBCU Alumni have gone above and beyond. I am so proud of them all!"

"I am so glad to have partnered with TBS for such an amazing opportunity, where we can continue to give back and make a difference in the lives of others," said Knight Pulliam (Spelman College). "As an HBCU grad, I understand the importance of education, along with the importance of financial freedom and the TBS HBCU Cash Out™ contest was an opportunity to ensure both for those who will carry on the torch and lead our future. Congratulations to all of the winners."

To view the TBS HBCU Cash Out™ winner reveal featuring Gross and Pulliam, please see below. To view all the winning entries please visit the TBS HBCU Cash Out™ Zoom Reveal playlist.

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