FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – When most people hear the word "lit" in today's context, they think of something being overly exciting, fun, turnt or pumped up. The 2018 L.I.T. Scholarship (L.I.T.) recipient thinks that lit should have a dual meaning. To him, not only does lit mean exciting, it also means paying kindness forward.

Di' Granger is a freshman kinesiology major at the University of Arkansas who received a $700 scholarship for the spring 2018 semester. Inspired to give back to others, Di' worked with his scholarship donors, the Litty Committee, to help other students. The Committee reached into the scholarship fund to help him bless students around campus. Taking inspiration from Drake's new video for "God's Plan" — Di' and the Committee popped up at the University of Arkansas for a series of surprise and delights giving away Walmart gift cards and paying for customer's items at the Walmart on Campus, or as the students call it — "Small Mart."

DeShaun Artis, Jasmine Block, Sharnell Coleman, Lauren Denton, Laurell King, Allison Kinsey and Micah Minter, members of The Litty Committee, are a group of friends who all graduated from the University of Arkansas within the last four years. Drawn together by a passion for serving, giving back and having a good time, they decided to reach into their own pockets to fund the L.I.T. Scholarship for a deserving student who showed leadership potential by "learning, inspiring and transforming" their community.

The goal of the L.I.T. is to discover ways to help educate, inspire and transform pioneers on the journey to success through social events "for the culture" and of course, by awarding a bag to deserving students. They're changing the culture — you can simultaneously read scholarly journals, listen to trap music and be an agent of change.

Since receiving the scholarship, Di' has upheld its ideals by serving as an ambassador for the program. To help promote the scholarship, Di has developed his own L.I.T. playlist and given back to his community.

With the help of Di, L.I.T. plans to expand its reach and offer multiple scholarships in 2019 while promoting its mission through social events, philanthropy and travel. All proceeds raised during events will go towards the L.I.T. scholarship fund for future recipients.

About the L.I.T. Scholarship Inc.: The goal of the L.I.T. Scholarship Program is to discover ways to help educate, inspire, and transform pioneers on the journey to success primarily by providing students with the accessibility to academic resources. Additional information about the L.I.T. Scholarship can be found at www.itslitscholar.com, Facebook: www.facebook.com/itslitscholar or Instagram www.instagram.com/itslit.scholar.

The L.I.T. Scholarship is not a scholarship offered through the University of Arkansas, but like other privately offered scholarships is available for Arkansas students who apply for it, in this case through the private L.I.T. Scholarship Program.