For more than 15 years, the APRO Charitable Foundation has annually provided scholarships to rent-to-own professionals and their families. APRO members have contributed generously to the APRO Scholarship Fund – awarding 522 scholarships totaling $1,180,250 to date – empowering students connected with RTO to pursue college degrees and successful futures.
New York native Emma Forthman – one of the 39 deserving 2024 APRO Scholarship recipients – will earn her associate’s degree in social sciences with a concentration in psychology from Jamestown Community College at year’s end, then will continue her studies at SUNY Brockport next spring. Her mom, Erin Forthman, has worked in RTO for almost 25 years – Emma’s whole life – and currently serves as a General Manager in Buffalo, New York, for Aaron’s, LLC, where she has been for the past 13 years.
“I’m deeply grateful for my mom’s rent-to-own career,” Emma says. “My family has always struggled with money, and this industry has given her many opportunities to not only gain respect and build her career, but also support her family. Her hard work for rent-to-own is the only reason I have been able to participate in all the activities I desperately wanted to be part of as a kid.”
Emma became involved in competitive dance as a young child, and with continuing classes, two shows, and up to five competitions annually, her parents struggled to support her dancing financially, but always figured a way for Emma to keep on dancing toward her dreams.
“My parents did everything they could to support me,” remembers Emma. “It’s an expensive activity, with tuition, costumes, shoes, competition fees, and private lessons. But my parents funded my dreams of being a dancer for my entire childhood.”
But while Emma wants to minor in dance at SUNY, her career aspirations shifted during high school toward psychology with a path toward criminology – she hopes to someday become a criminal profiler for the FBI. Emma knew her family couldn’t afford her higher education, so she worked hard in high school to qualify for scholarships. She was on the honor roll almost every quarter, and graduated tenth in her class with a 98.9 grade average, even having taken several honors, advanced placement, and community-college courses. At Jamestown, Emma has continued to excel academically, and is a member of the International College Honor Society Phi Theta Kappa.
“My parents have been so hardworking my whole life to support me and our family,” Emma concludes. “The APRO scholarship is not only helping me get closer to realizing my dreams, but also helping me make them proud. Receiving it is a true blessing for all of us.”
Emma’s is one of the dozens of positive stories that generous donations from the RTO community make happen each year. Click here to learn more and contribute to this invaluable industry effort.
