Congratulations on beginning your journey at an HBCU. I am genuinely proud of every one of you.

As you get older, you’ll notice that some people will celebrate the same things that others criticize. That is simply part of life.

This scholarship is an opportunity to show up as yourself (bonnet or durag included) while also affirming that competence lives in your hands and mind. Your application is private. I look forward to reading what you have to say.

When you believe in something, you put your money where your mouth is. That is exactly what this is.

Study hard. Your HBCU education is a powerful foundation. The world is waiting for what you will build.

Good luck this semester.

— Samuel Leon Maja Porter, Esq.