Porn Site's Scholarship Goes to Middle-Aged Mom

MaryAnn Uribe has had a rough few years. In 2014, for instance, her former employer allegedly tried to have her killed. But, thanks to a purveyor of Internet pornography, things are looking up for the 48-year-old mother of two in San Antonio, Texas. Uribe has been announced as the recipient of a $25,000 college scholarship courtesy of PornHub, reports the San Antonio Express-News. Uribe, who holds an associate degree, will now pursue a bachelor's in political science. "I busted out crying," Uribe tells the newspaper. PornHub launched its controversial scholarship contest earlier this year. Hopefuls had to be at least 18, have a 3.2 GPA or higher, and submit an essay and video answering the question, "How do you strive to make others happy?" Uribe's entry rose above more than 1,000 others because “she’s been through a lot" and "she really stood up for herself," PornHub VP Corey Price tells the Washington Post.

In 2011, Uribe sued after claiming she was fired from her job as an office manager at a legal office for refusing to illegally solicit clients, a practice known informally as ambulance chasing and more formally as barratry, explains the Express-News. The two attorneys who ran the office said she was disgruntled and making it up, but they were subsequently indicted on federal charges of barratry and are awaiting trial. In 2014, one of the attorneys, Paul Andrews, was arrested for allegedly offering a client reduced legal fees in exchange for having "something happen to Uribe." He's now facing charges of solicitation of murder. The whole thing has left Uribe with a host of psychological disorders, including agoraphobia and PTSD. "Every little thing sets me off," she tells the Post. But, she adds to the Express-News, "it's not going to keep me down." (A different type of porn site is battling "Silicon Valley prudes.")