When Tamara Robinson’s sixth-grade daughter, Aiyuanna, brought home a brochure for the Kauffman Scholars program in 2011, Tamara was skeptical. The program promised not only financial support for college, but also academic support and mentoring beginning years before students reached a college campus.
“Honestly, I did not believe it,” Robinson recalled. “I was like, ‘Oh, girl, who in their right mind is going to pay for you a full-ride scholarship when you’re in the sixth grade?’”
An informational meeting soon convinced Robinson otherwise, introducing her to the Kauffman Foundation’s legacy of support for college access.
It was in 1988, when Mr. Kauffman, himself, launched Project Choice with an auditorium of 240 eighth graders at his alma mater, Westport High School. He promised each one of them full postsecondary scholarships if they stayed in school and graduated. Project Choice was offered to four full classes at Westport High School (Class of 1992- Class of 1995), as well as to smaller cohorts of students from Harmon, Schlagle, Washington, and Wyandotte high schools and Sumner Academy of Arts and Science in Kansas City, Kansas. Over time, it served more than 1,400 students.
Project Choice was an early “promise scholarship” model linking financial aid, mentoring, and clear expectations. Its design and lessons learned directly influenced the Foundation’s Kauffman Scholars program (2003-2023) and, indirectly, KC Scholars (2016), evolving into Great Jobs KC (2022), and the Ewing Marion Kauffman School.
Kauffman Scholars built on Project Choice by reaching students earlier and providing sustained academic preparation, mentoring, and support through college completion. For Robinson that broader investment made the difference.
“They not only invested the money; they invested the resources and then they invested the time,” she said. As a Kauffman Scholar, Aiyuanna earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri. She went on to pursue a master’s degree in public health.
When Robinson’s younger daughter, Jhala, approached college in 2021, the family turned to KC Scholars. Founded and incubated at the Kauffman Foundation, KC Scholars launched as its own 501(c)(3) organization – a regional scholarship and student support program serving students across the Kansas City area. Jhala became a KC Scholar while attending the University of Central Missouri and, later, continued her education at Clark Atlanta University, studying business administration and sports marketing.
Then, in 2023, it was Robinson’s turn. She earned her associate degree in 1999 but put her own educational goals on hold while working and raising her daughters. More than two decades later, she enrolled at the University of Missouri-Kansas City to pursue a degree in business administration with a concentration in human resources. Through KC Scholars, Robinson qualified for an adult learner scholarship designed to help adults return to college and complete their bachelor’s degree.
“You have to be thankful that someone gave you the opportunity to get a second chance in life,” she said. “That’s what I feel like I’m on right now – my second chance.”
Across more than a decade, Robinson and her daughters experienced the Foundation’s evolving approach to college access and completion firsthand. Today, Robinson continues that connection as an adult learner ambassador with Great Jobs KC and through an internship with the Foundation’s Talent and Culture team during the summer of 2026.
“I am so thankful to Mr. Kauffman for keeping his promises because they have changed the trajectory of my family’s future.”