Woman With Down Syndrome Surprised With College Scholarship

A woman with Down Syndrome can’t hold back her excitement as she’s surprised with a college scholarship, screaming "I GOT IT!" as her family watch on with pride. Martha Haythorn, 22, was surprised with the $10,000 scholarship from the charity Ruby's Rainbow, allowing her to fulfill her dream of attending Georgia Tech University. According to Martha's family, she had been attending Georgia Tech's EXCEL Program before she was later accepted into the college's Vocations Rehab. There was initial financial help, the family said, but when that funding was later cut to a much smaller amount, Martha's parents were left scrambling to come up with the funds. Martha insisted she apply for help from Ruby's Rainbow all by herself, which, after the application was submitted, meant a nervous wait. Ruby's Rainbow is a charitable organization providing scholarships for adults with Down syndrome and is overseen by Ruby's mom, Liz Plachta, whose daughter was the inspiration behind the non-profit. In total, Ruby’s Rainbow has awarded nearly 600 scholarships, worth more than $2,000,000. Having patiently waited for a reply to her application, Martha returned to her Decatur, Georgia, home one day and asked if there had been any mail. Her mom, Mary, informed her there was some on the coffee table, and when Martha saw one of the letters was from Ruby's Rainbow, Mary started recording. Martha's scholarship was for $10,000, significantly helping her family with her college costs, which are said to be around $30,000 annually.