The Donna Jamison-Lago Memorial Scholarship Essay Competition awards scholarships to outstanding high school seniors to help finance educational expenses. The competition encourages students to think critically about, and to address in essay form, important issues that are currently affecting minority communities. The scholarship competition is named after a founding member of NextGen Network who lost her battle to cancer in 2003. Since its inception, the competition has grown tremendously, awarding over $70,000 in scholarship funds since 2000 to deserving students. The competition is currently sponsored by Entergy Nuclear, a division of the Entergy Corporation - one of the nation's largest global energy companies.

The essay competition represents one of NextGen Network's many efforts to build a pipeline of young talented African American students who will ultimately become the next generation of leaders in corporate America. NextGen Network seeks to provide students with the opportunity to begin thinking critically as they look at issues not normally addressed in their daily lives. This helps them hone the vital writing, communications and problem solving skills which will be invaluable to their success in college and beyond. The competition also provides winners with needed capital to offset higher education expenses.