A remarkable young man

18-year-old gives his $40,000 scholarship to other teens: Compton High basketball player Allan Guei felt his classmates needed the money more

In the weeks following the March free-throw competition, Guei learned that he’d scored a full-ride basketball scholarship to California State University-Northridge. NCAA rules allowed Guei to accept the athletic scholarship and also keep most of the $40,000 he had won.

But Guei couldn’t stop thinking about the seven talented runners-up from the free-throw contest. They, too, had dreams — and very real needs. So, he asked Principal Jesse Jones to make a surprise announcement at Compton High’s graduation ceremony: Guei wanted to donate the $40,000 to the other seven students.

“I’ve already been blessed so much and I know we're living with a bad economy, so I know this money can really help my classmates,” Guei said in a statement. “It was the right decision.”

I hope this young man goes far in the world, and that his generosity inspires others. Because of him, seven other students will be able to have their undergraduate expenses mostly paid, whereas in the original competition they'd have had about a year, so this takes away the worry of completing their undergraduate education, and they won't have to take out debts to pay. This one person's generosity can touch many lives. I wish them all well.