Before the Los Angeles Rams faced off against the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, Pro Football Hall of Famer and Rams Legend Issac Bruce hosted 30 students for a career panel and networking opportunity. The event was as part of the Isaac Bruce Foundation's Flight 300 program in partnership with American Airlines.
The Issac Bruce foundation launched in 2006 and focuses on health, wellness, nutrition, fitness and education. Bruce started the Flight 300 program because when he graduated High School, the Fort Lauderdale, Florida native received a scholarship to West Los Angeles College, but he did not have enough money to book travel to Los Angeles. That was until he was gifted enough money to make the 2,700-mile venture. The foundation's executive director Tiffany Wilson Burris further explained what that money did for Bruce and the lasting impact it had on his life.
"That 300 dollars was able to get him out of the projects in Florida and get him to college in California," said Burris. "He doesn't feel like he would have been able to make it to the NFL had it not been for those300 dollars, so he had always said he wanted to pay it forward. That's why we created the program."
The Flight 300 program covers the cost of one-way airfare for a student with all the pieces in place to attend college but unable to afford to get there. On top of paying the airfare, the program also helps cover cost of transportation to the airport, the cost to check bags, the cost of transportation from the airport to campus, and provides a gift card for dorm essentials including bedding, towels, and more. One of the programs students, University of Southern California (USC) freshman Abdulrahman Sadiq stated it's much more than simply covering a plane ticket.
"It sounds like just a plane ticket but it's a lot more. It's a stress reliever, you feel supported and feel like you have someone in your corner telling you we're going to do this.," said Sadiq. "It gave me more confidence, not having to stress as much about when classes start and getting a plane ticket on a certain day and it being too expensive."
On top of the networking opportunity, Rams partner American Airlines provided Bruce with five million AAdvantage Miles to help provide transportation to students traveling to school in 2025, adding to the 5,000 miles each participant in attendance received. The Director of Corporate Recruiting and Campus Engagement Programs at American Airlines, Terrence Bradshaw, opened up about what a plane ticket can really do for students and what the Rams commitment to the program says about the organization.
"It can be the last thing deciding whether you can go to college or whether a dream can start," said Bradshaw. "At American Airlines, we love that the Rams are looking beyond athletes and looking at other students and encouraging them to pursue their career, whatever that endeavor may be."
To learn more about the Issac Bruce Foundation and the Flight 300 program please visit https://www.isaacbruce.org/foundation.php. For more information about the Rams' community outreach efforts, visit www.therams.com/community.
