Louisiana Native and Educator Turned Hip-Hop Artist Dee-1 and Sallie Mae Will Visit Local High Schools to Promote College Planning

The Bridging the Dream Tour Starring Dee-1 Will Educate More than 1,000 High School Students on College Planning and Financial Literacy During Stops in New Orleans and Pineville

NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Acclaimed New Orleans native and national hip-hop recording artist, motivational speaker, and former middle-school teacher, Dee-1, and Sallie Mae, the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company, will visit Eleanor McMain Secondary School on Thursday, Sept. 20 and Pineville High School on Friday, Sept. 21 for the Bridging the Dream Tour Starring Dee-1, a nationwide tour to promote college planning and financial literacy.

As a graduate of Louisiana State University and former educator, Dee-1 is uniquely positioned to inspire and motivate today’s youth with his story and message of financial responsibility. In addition to providing tips on planning for college and managing money, Dee-1 will perform his viral anthem about paying off his student loans, “Sallie Mae Back.”

Dee-1 will also encourage high school counselors and community leaders to nominate students for Sallie Mae’s $25,000 Bridging the Dream Scholarship. High school counselors and community leaders may nominate high school juniors and seniors now through Sept. 27. Recipients will be announced later this year.

WHO:	New Orleans’ own Dee-1, the former educator turned hip-hop artist and motivational speaker, in partnership with Sallie Mae, the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company.
WHAT:	The Bridging the Dream Tour Starring Dee-1 will visit Eleanor McMain Secondary School and Pineville High School to educate nearly 1,000 high school students about planning for college, financial literacy, and Sallie Mae’s Bridging the Dream Scholarship Program. Dee-1 will also perform his hit song, “Sallie Mae Back.”
WHEN & WHERE:	Thursday, Sept. 20 1 p.m. CDT Eleanor McMain Secondary School 5712 South Claiborne Avenue New Orleans, La. 70125 School Contact: Shandrell Briscoe, 504-390-5469 Media Contact: Antoine L. Oakley, 302-509-9464 Media encouraged to arrive at 12:30 p.m., use the gym entrance on Nashville Ave. Friday, Sept. 21 8:30 a.m. CDT Pineville High School 1511 Line Street Pineville, La. 71360 School Contact: John Neal, 318-442-8990 Media Contact: Antoine L. Oakley, 302-509-9464 Media encouraged to arrive at 8 a.m., use front entrance, and sign in at school office.

Louisiana is one of seven stops on the Bridging the Dream Tour Starring Dee-1. Earlier this week, the tour kicked-off in California where Dee-1 interacted with, and performed for, more than 1,000 students. The Bridging the Dream Tour Starring Dee-1 will also make stops in New York, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, and South Carolina.

Follow the tour and join the conversation on social media by using #Dee1DreamBig and following @SallieMae and @Dee1music on Instagram.

To learn more about saving, planning, and paying for college, including Sallie Mae’s free Scholarship Search tool, visit salliemae.com.

Sallie Mae (Nasdaq: SLM) is the nation’s saving, planning, and paying for college company. Whether college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae offers products that promote responsible personal finance, including private education loans, free scholarship search tools, free college financial planning tools, and online retail banking. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored by or agencies of the United States of America.