YASMINE ARRINGTON BROOKS
Yasmine Arrington Brooks is the Founder and Executive Director of ScholarCHIPS,
Inc., an organization dedicated to providing college scholarships, mentoring, mental
health support, technology, and a robust support network for children of
incarcerated parents, empowering them to complete their college education.
Growing up with an incarcerated father, Yasmine knew all too well the pain, shame,
trauma, and emotional and financial burdens that her family situation created. As a
junior in high school, while researching scholarships she could apply for to afford a
college education, Yasmine and her grandmother realized that they could not find
any niche scholarship-mentorship programs specifically dedicated to this often-forgotten population, so she decided to create one herself.
Since 2012, ScholarCHIPS has awarded over $600,000 in college scholarships to
over 100 scholars, now with 56 college graduates. The organization continues to
support scholars and alumni to and through college and into their careers.
Yasmine was previously honored as a 2023 CNN Hero and as a “Drew Gooder” on
The Drew Barrymore Show. Yasmine is a multifaceted force of nature – also helping
people turn their pain into purpose as an author, plus-size model, podcast host and
producer, motivational speaker, and social justice advocate.
