Incoming Alabama State University Freshman MiMi Harris Will Receive $10,000 Annually for College Expenses, 1-to-1 Mentorship & Support Throughout College

The B3 Foundation, the nonprofit organization founded by NFL Offensive Lineman Zach Banner focused on youth empowerment and education, announced today the second recipient of its Future Community Leaders Scholarship. MiMi Harris, recent graduate of Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix, Arizona, is the winner of the $10,000 per year scholarship which celebrates youth community service and leadership.

“Receiving this scholarship means absolutely everything to me and my family,” said Harris. “This scholarship will allow me to pay for my remaining balance to attend college debt free. This generous financial award will ensure all balances are paid and I can focus on being a student-athlete. When I begin my college journey at ASU, I’m looking forward to making new lifelong friends, playing volleyball and bonding with my teammates, taking classes to learn new subjects, and learning and growing more as a person.”

Throughout high school, MiMi was the captain of her volleyball team, a member of the National Honor Society and Black Student Union, a Campus Ambassador, on student council, and a peer academic tutor. She was a finalist for the City of Phoenix Young Woman of the Year Award and she received the Prudential Spirit of Community Service Award, the United States’ largest youth recognition program based exclusively on volunteer community service. She received the Better Business Award Ethical Athlete Award for character and ethics. She has interned with Google and NASA, and she is a teen journalist for R.I.S.E. Magazine and an NAACP Youth Member. With a strong passion for service, she found fulfillment serving the homeless community in Arizona. She garnered more than 800 hours of documented community service over the last four years, including work as a Special Olympics volleyball coach and education-focused service trips to Costa Rica. During COVID, she founded Covid Meal Relief 4 the Homeless – a program designed to provide meal assistance to those most in need during the pandemic. She also founded a program called Jeans 4 Teens in Foster Care, helping gather and organize new jeans for hundreds of foster youth in the Phoenix area. This fall, she will attend Alabama State University to major in Physical Therapy/Rehab Services and minor in Psychology. She will also be playing volleyball. Her goal is to complete a Phd in Physical Therapy and become dual certified as a Physical Therapist and Sports Psychologist. In this role she plans to offer significantly reduced rehab services to low-income families in various communities for free, so they can heal without the financial burden that physical therapy can provide.

Check out this video of Harris throwing out the first pitch at an Arizona Diamondbacks game this year!

The Future Community Leaders Scholarship seeks to identify students who are committed to becoming leaders and change-makers, and will provide them the opportunity to excel in their chosen field in college and thereafter. As a recipient, Harris will receive $10,000 annually for four years that will go towards college expenses as she pursues her Bachelor’s degree at Alabama State University, an HBCU located in Montgomery, Alabama. Harris will also be paired with a mentor who will guide and coach her throughout her college experience. And she will be invited to participate in B3 Foundation board meetings and project planning.

“I was blown away when I first met MiMi.” said B3 Foundation Founder Zach Banner. “She is such an impressive young woman. Not only for her remarkable community service and leadership in high school, but when you talk to her you can see her maturity and perspective is beyond her years. I think it’s great that she’s an athlete as well and that’s something we have in common. My foundation is honored to be able to add her to our team as we support her for the next four years.”

Banner surprised Harris at her home in Laveen, Arizona this past weekend to let her know she had won the scholarship. Enjoy this heart-warming video of the reveal here:

The 2023 Future Community Leaders Scholarship will open for applications in October 2022.