NATCHITOCHES – The Black Alumni Alliance Scholarship fund at Northwestern State University has been fulfilled thanks to support from Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and a Giving Tuesday pledge. The Fall 1999 Line, the Elusive 18, of Delta Sigma Theta presented a donation to the BAA that fulfilled the BAA’s endowed scholarship at the $10,000 level. The BAA Scholarship was created to benefit minority students in need.
Shondale Coleman and Sherice Forté represented Delta Sigma Theta to present the funds to the NSU Foundation in person while several of their sorority sisters joined the meeting via Zoom. BAA President Chena Johnson and BAA Founder Nicole Gray thanked them for their support.
“Delta Sigma Theta is a service organization and our focus is in bettering the Black community,” Forté said. “We’ve been trying to figure out what we can do to stay connected and when this opportunity came, we were able to issue the challenge and are looking forward to doing more.”
The BAA was established in 2008 with goals of promoting recruitment and retention of minority students, faculty and staff; facilitating financial assistance for currently-enrolled minority students and providing support for the culturally diverse student organizations. The group also seeks to link with the Natchitoches community and alumni-at-large to organize networking opportunities and forge relationships that support the educational and financial goals of NSU students. Delta Sigma Theta’s contribution of $1,300 pushed the scholarship to $10,874.18.
Drake Owens, executive director of the NSU Foundation, said the BAA’s involvement with the Foundation has helped propel diversity awareness on campus and with alumni and the presentation was especially appropriate during Black History Month.
Anyone interested in contributing to the BAA Foundation Account and /or the scholarship can do so online at https://northwesternstatealumni.com/givetobaa/or by contacting the NSU Foundation Office at (318) 357-4435. Those interested can get dual membership in both the NSU Alumni Association and the Black Alumni Association for one price. Any individual who gives directly to both the NSU Foundation account and/or the Scholarship will receive tax credit from the NSU Foundation.
Pictured: Members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Fall 1999 Line, the Elusive 18, presented a donation to NSU’s Black Alumni Alliance that pushed the BAA Scholarship past the fully endowed $10,000 mark. From left are Drake Owens, BAA President Chena Johnson, Jill Bankston, BAA Founder Nicole Gray, and Delta Sigma Theta alumni Shondale Coleman and Sherice Forté with others present via Zoom.
