Hays creates $20,000 scholarship for Maryland students

Today, Austin Hays teams up with the Orioles and Bold.org to create The Austin Hays Scholarship for $20,000. The scholarship is created for Maryland students who need financial support to pursue higher education. The winner will be announced and recognized at an Orioles game in September, where they will be awarded $20,000 toward their education. Austin personally funded $10,000 with an equal match from the Orioles Charitable Foundation.

As a star outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles since 2017, Austin Hays knows what hard work looks like, and he understands what it takes to achieve big dreams. Unfortunately, trying to reach ambitious goals is almost always filled with obstacles and challenges to overcome. Lack of access to affordable education should never be one of these barriers, yet many bright students don’t have the resources they need to complete their degrees. Today, Austin pays it forward by using his position to give back to a student who needs financial support. 

Austin Hays says, “The state of Maryland, through the Orioles and its fans, has given so much to me and my family. So much so, that we wanted to make an impact on the lives of some of the young students within Maryland’s community. The Austin Hays scholarship allows us to do so. With the help of the Orioles and Bold.org, we are looking forward to helping a young student access a quality education.”

Any current student, whether in high school or college, who lives in Maryland may apply for the Austin Hays Scholarship. To apply, candidates must visit www.bold.org/scholarships/austinhays and write a brief essay letting Austin know what dream or goal they hope to achieve and how they plan on making it come true. All candidates must apply for the scholarship by August 21, 2022.

Hays is part of a long list of athletes and public figures who support education on Bold.org. Other Bold.org scholarship sponsors include MLB player Gary Sánchez, NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Tyrell Terry, professional tennis player Sloane Stephens, producer and DJ 3LAU, NFL Wide Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace, Grammy-winning band Imagine Dragons, professional MMA fighter Cat Zingano, actor Terry Crews, singer songwriter Clario and actress Jameela Jamil.