Erin Lanae's HBCU Excellence Scholarship

Funded by
$500
1 winner$500
Awarded
Application Deadline
Nov 15, 2024
Winners Announced
Dec 15, 2024
Education Level
Undergraduate
Eligibility Requirements
Education Level:
Undergraduate student
Age:
At least eighteen years old
School Type:
HBCU

Getting accepted into a college or university is an incredible accomplishment that should be the start of a successful academic career.

Unfortunately, this exciting time is often tinged with stress and anxiety as students wonder how they’ll pay for school. Even students with exceptional qualifications and amazing grades may be offered little to no aid from their college, leaving them in a difficult financial situation that can be discouraging.

This scholarship seeks to support students attending Historically Black Colleges and Universities who need assistance paying for their schooling.

Any undergraduate student at an HBCU who is at least eighteen years old may apply for this scholarship opportunity.

To apply, respond to one of the prompts below about your experience so far at the HBCU you attend and submit your favorite picture of yourself.

Selection Criteria:
Ambition, Drive, Impact
Published August 7, 2024
Essay Topic

Choose one of the following essay topics:

1. Why did you choose to attend an HBCU and what does this experience mean to you?


2. Share your favorite memory from your time at your HBCU and how it has shaped your journey. This can be a fun, silly, or serious memory as long as it comes from the heart.

100–250 words

Winning Application

Yaa Opong
Spelman CollegeLilburn, GA
We stood as one on convocation day, dressed in white, donned flesh-colored stockings and black shoes. Alumni watched as we walked tentatively to the chapel, bubbling in anticipation of being awarded our pins. “Soon, you’ll be officially a spelmanite,” I heard an older woman say, and it was puzzling. Since the day we accepted the admission letters, we had been calling ourselves Spelmanites. We felt we’d earned it through our decisions to be change makers and attend this historic institution in pursuit of knowledge and community. But we didn’t understand. As the program continued, the sacred nature of the ceremony began to dawn on us all. In a blink of an eye, it was my turn. As I walked up to the stage leading my row, I was greeted by beaming alumni- all too excited to hand me my pin- “keep it well,” she said. “this school will be a journey, but it will not let you leave unprepared” as she pinned me, I mulled over her words, and they stuck with me. It wasn’t the pinning, I realized, but the words of someone who had shared my journey that mattered the most, and now I was a Spelmanite.

FAQ

When is the scholarship application deadline?

The application deadline is Nov 15, 2024. Winners will be announced on Dec 15, 2024.