NEW ORLEANS – After receiving and reviewing 40 applications from student leaders in District 2, School Board Member Ethan Ashley along with the New Orleans Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. selected their first District 2 Legacy Scholarship recipient, Ms. Chelby Sterling.
Sterling is an outstanding District 2 student leader both in merit and service, and is a proud graduate of Benjamin Franklin High School (BFHS) where she earned a 4.1 cumulative GPA and an ACT score of 34, scholarship reps said.
Beyond her academic achievement, Sterling created a legacy of service and excellence by developing an annual blood drive at BFHS and a student scholarship to incentivize student participation to help save more lives in the community.
Sterling attributes her success to the support she receives from her African American single parent mother and supportive grandmother – the matriarchs of her family. She will be attending Emory University to study both African American studies and Political Science. Upon graduation, she plans to attend law school.
School Board Member Ashley said, “I was fortunate enough to attend college at age 16 and received enough outside scholarships like this Legacy Scholarship to pay for school. There was no way my mother would have been able to afford the tuition at Howard University, let alone the plane tickets to and from D.C. With that said, the Legacy Scholarship was created for students like Chelby Sterling. She is an excellent student leader and cares deeply about her community, as evidenced by her service of creating and supporting an annual blood drive at her school and creating a scholarship for students to incentivize their participation in order to save more lives in our community. I could not have dreamed of a better recipient. She will do well at Emory University. I look forward to her return to New Orleans, after her studies, because I know that she will continue her legacy of service and leadership to our great city.”
When asked about her being named the first District 2 Legacy Scholarship recipient, Sterling said, “I am blessed to have received this honor. I cannot thank School Board Member Ashley and the men of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. enough. I will make them and our community proud!”
Polemarch of the New Orleans Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Treyton Diggs said, “the New Orleans Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. has awarded more than $3,500 in scholarships this year alone. Our organization understands deeply the effect a great educational foundation has on a young person’s life and we welcome the chance to provide financial assistance to alleviate the burdens and make the pathway to achievement much easier.”
Vice Polemarch Christopher Newsome said, “We are extremely impressed by Ms. Chelby Sterling and honored to recognize her achievements. We look forward to watching her legacy grow in college and beyond. She is the student we all root for and love to support. This scholarship is one way we tell her ‘job well done!’”
The Legacy Scholarship is a $500 scholarship to be awarded to a student who attended a New Orleans public high school and resides in District 2. The scholarship application had no formal academic qualifications. Students were eligible to apply if they were enrolled in either a 2- or 4-year college or university for the Fall of 2017 semester. The scholarship focus was on young leaders in the community who are creating a legacy of educational and community excellence. Thus, this scholarship was coined the “Legacy Scholarship.”
