The winner of Pornhub's $25K scholarship is the last person you'd expect

Porn just took an unexpectedly wholesome turn.

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Complex Original

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Texas mom MaryAnn Uribe, 48,  has everything she needs to earn her bachelor’s degree, thanks to a scholarship from an unlikely source: Pornhub.

Uribe won a $25,000 scholarship from the adult video-streaming site after hearing about the offer on a radio ad. The x-rated company initially drew criticism for the scholarship. Some critics, like the National Center on Sexual Exploitation, saw the scholarship as a ploy to "exploit economically vulnerable young people." 

"If Pornhub truly cared about disadvantaged youth, they could give away scholarship money without exploiting thousands of teenagers," executive director Dawn Hawkins said in a statement

But by all accounts, the scholarship was legit. According to Pornhub, more than 1,000 people applied—each were required to submit a personal essay, video statement, resume, and transcripts—but Uribe’s personal story stood out the most. 

“MaryAnn epitomizes the drive for determination and success; from her indelible personality, to the resiliency she’s shown to achieve her goals,” the site says on its philanthropic page, Pornhub Cares.

“We were looking for someone who spreads happiness and affected positive change,” Pornhub president Corey Price told the Washington Post. “She’s been through a lot. … When negative things happened, she really stood up for herself.”

Pornhub did not immediately respond to NTRSCTN's request for comment.​

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Uribe recently finished a two-year degree at a San Antonio community college and plans to use the scholarship money to finish up a bachelor’s degree at Troy University in Alabama, the Post reported.

But Uribe’s story doesn’t start with the scholarship. According to the Post, when she worked in a law firm in 2011, Uribe reported her employers for barratry—a felony in Texas in which lawyers pursue unnecessary or excessive litigation for profit.

Uribe’s employer allegedly attempted to hire a hitman to silence her in retaliation. Unbeknownst to the lawyer, the supposed hitman was actually a Texas Ranger informant wearing a wire. The lawyer was caught on tape, reportedly telling the informant that he “wanted something to happen to Uribe,” agreeing to pay for the service.

The Post reported that the lawyer resigned from the Texas state bar and faces trial in a Bexar County court in April 2016. He is charged with solicitation of capital murder and barratry.

Uribe said she has suffered significant trauma from the incident, and is now agoraphobic, plagued with the fear that she will be killed if she goes outside.

“Every little thing sets me off—strange voices or the dog barking or the postman knocking,” Uribe told the Post. “It can send me to the floor.”

But despite her trauma, Uribe remains steadfast in seeking justice against her former employer and finishing school.

“I have to be strong,” she said. “If I quit college, I let them win.”

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