Student Spotlight: Kaylan Daniels, Quail Meadows, Demopolis

April 05, 2021

Meet Kaylan Daniels of Demopolis:

Kaylan Daniels was selected to receive a 2020 resident scholarship award from the Alabama Affordable Housing Association (AAHA).

Education:

Daniels is a 2020 graduate of Demopolis High School currently attending Troy University. The former high school football player is pursuing a degree in business management with a minor in graphic design. Daniels hopes to eventually head a graphic design agency.

Career Goals:

“My greatest passion is graphic designing,” wrote Daniels in his scholarship application. “I personally feel that being able to express myself creatively through the use of technology is fun and exciting. I envision one day being the CEO of a graphic studio and having the opportunity to employ underprivileged African American males like myself.”

Impact of Scholarship:

Daniels said, “I am a product of a single-parent home. Although statistics say that these children are two times more likely to drop out of school, I beat the odds. I knew at an early age that I wanted to be successful, because I have seen my mother struggle to make ends meet for all of my life. Financial constraints are the main effect of growing up in a single-parent home. This scholarship will assist me in pursuing a college degree.”

Living in Affordable Housing:

“Affordable housing has help to reduce the frequency of disruptive moves in my household,” said Daniels. “My mom and I have been staying in the same apartment complex and the same apartment since I was three years old. Living in affordable housing gave me a sense of hope and security. Coming home was my safe haven from the cares and troubles that I faced at school and on the field. Living in affordable housing made it possible for my mother to provide me with my basic needs. It was always hard for my mom to keep up with other parents, but she still managed to get me everything I wanted and more. Even though I was too young to understand, I could feel the stress and the struggles my mom faced daily. Affordable housing has helped to improve the quality of my life.”

In 2000, the Alabama Affordable Housing Association (AAHA) created an education scholarship program for residents of member-owned apartment properties in Alabama. The scholarship funds are donated by the owners, contractors, architects, accountants, property management companies, investors, lenders, developers, and various vendors that make up AAHA’s membership as well as other non-member individuals. Since its inception, the AAHA resident scholarship fund has awarded more than $750,000 in college and vocational scholarships. 

For more information about the resident scholarship program, please contact Arrice Faught, AAHA’s executive director, at [email protected] or 205.758.1158.