Los Angeles, CA—Nicole “NeeKKo” Lindsey launched her ‘Education is Key’ campaign back in April, with the goal of raising money for inner city students for college. Tomorrow, she will give five students from the local community $5000 in scholarships.
“I want to encourage people to practice putting money back into their community. One of the ways that I want to encourage that, is by investing in the youth, investing in their education,” says NeeKKo.
“It’s beneficial to the community because the more scholars and children you help, they can come back and do something for the community.”
NeeKKo is a first generation college student who knows how heavy the weight and impact of student debt can be.
The UC Santa Barbara graduate worked multiple jobs while in college and sometimes skipped meals. The biggest skill she learned through it all, was to always have her finances in order. The impact of being “broke” for a little while doesn’t faze her, as long as her bills are paid.
Over the last five months, NeeKKo’s ‘Education is Key’ campaign has become a familiar sight in the Instagram feeds of Los Angeles natives. Her creative marketing strategies led her to use events and artists that she knew, to promote her campaign. She also got local businesses such as Taco Mell and Mr. Fries Man, to post about her campaign in their businesses.
Wherever NeeKKo could push her campaign, she carried her large, pink, key with her which is her official marketing symbol.
People were encouraged to donate to her campaign because she got the community of South Central engaged with her vision. One of the most notable aspects of her campaign, are the one minute free-styles people did over Nipsey Hussle’s song “Dedication” off his Victory Lap album.
To hear locals rap about the importance of education, shows the community is still finding ways to push forward despite tragedy, such as the recent death of beloved rapper and businessman Nipsey Hussle.
“My plan for this platform as I continue to move forward with it, I want to expand and be able to offer things such as mentorship, internships, jobs and be a resource and staple in the community,” NeeKKo revealed.
NeeKKo plans to make her scholarship fundraiser an annual event. After tomorrow’s award ceremony at Century Community Charter school, she will begin planning for her 2020 scholarship drive. The awards ceremony tomorrow is from 3:00 p.m until 7:00 p.m.
Visit https://yourgirlneekko.com/ or @yourgirlneekko on Instagram to donate or purchase NeeKKo’s official G.H.E.T.T.O t-shirts. 100% of the proceeds go towards the scholarship fund.
NeeKKo is a host and entertainer with a purpose from Los Angeles, CA. She is the co-creator of L.A Cypher, a weekly cypher series highlighting Los Angeles rap artists. As a first generation college graduate of UC Santa Barbara, for her family college was completely new for them, not to mention expensive. While attending college and facing debt, NeeKKo had always known that she wanted to provide annual opportunities for inner city students, like herself, to experience a higher education by providing financial assistance in aims to help eliminate their need for loans.
