Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy committed $250,000 to fund a new scholarship program that aims to foster national pride among young Americans, as he believes patriotism is declining in the country. The scholarship program aims to revive national pride among the younger generation.
Highlighting the need for such a scholarship, Ramaswamy cited studies that shed light on the current state of American pride in the younger generation. According to the findings, only 16 per cent of Gen Z say they are proud to be American, while a staggering 60 per cent of teens on TikTok would rather give up their right to vo
“In honor of our son’s 1st birthday today, Apoorva & I are committing $250,000 to fund a new scholarship to foster national pride among young Americans,” he announced on Twitter. “Ten winners will be selected by a panel to receive a $25,000 scholarship for post-secondary education, entrepreneurial endeavors, or their commitment to serve in the military or law enforcement role.”
The tech mogul lamented the relatively poor state of patriotism in American youths, noting “[o]nly 16% of Gen Z says they’re proud to be American. 60% of teens on TikTok would rather give up their right to vote than their social media account. Our military suffered a 25% recruitment deficit last year. This bodes poorly for our nation.”
“As an entrepreneur, I believe in solving problems through private behavior whenever possible,” he continued. “That’s why we are funding a new scholarship to revive patriotism: this year, ten high school students will be eligible to receive a $25,000 scholarship for concisely articulating what it means to be an American in 2023. The scholarship will be administered by @IncubateDebate, a nonprofit organization that leads U.S. students to debate important issues of public importance.”
Applicants must submit a 2-minute video answering the question “what does it mean to be an American?”
Considered something of a longshot candidate, Ramaswamy’s announcement comes as he appears to be enjoying a poll surge. A recent Echelon Insights survey shows him taking 10% of the Republican primary electorate, placing him in third, behind former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
