Friends and Alumni Share Their Scholarship Story

Friends Shawntera Hardy, Tanisha Briley, LeShel Hutchings and Kristin Moreland are passionate about helping Ohio State students through two scholarship funds. In 2013, they created an award to help Ohio State students with backgrounds similar to their own.

"People took extra steps on me," Hardy said. "If this helps one person who comes from the 'hood to think globally, that would make a difference to me." Students can use the money in any way they want or need, but Briley and Hardy hope recipients see it as an opportunity to study aboard. Both women were able to travel as students and found those experiences life changing. "We understood the value of this travel and the difference it's made in our lives," said Briley '01. "This was an opportunity to do something in line with our goals and our lives."

In memory of their friend Fatima Kinshasa Carter, who passed away in 2012, her four college friends searched for a way to keep the memory of their dear sorority sister alive. Knowing how simple it had been for Briley and Hardy to create the Pioneer Scholars Award, they decided to create another: The Fatima Kinshasa Carter Memorial Scholarship. This award gives preference to female African American students who attended Columbus' Independence High School.

Fatima Kinshasa Carter's friends describe her as a sweet, outgoing person who always had a smile and was quick to give a hug. Carter graduated from Independence High School in Columbus and earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and public relations at Ohio State.

"Every year when they award this scholarship, another student knows Fatima's name," said Moreland '02, '12, '14 MSW. "They may not know her story - they can Google it - but they'll know her name, and that's enough for me." Hutchings agreed: "We want to make sure Fatima's legacy is there."

One person who now knows of Carter is Kamala Cooper, 18, who graduated from Independence High in May. The $3,000 award is helping the freshman concentrate on course work rather than stress out about how to pay a tuition bill. Her message to the four people who are making that possible? "You guys are helping me get to my goals and fulfill my dreams. Keep on helping and investing in education because it will pay off when I graduate and start changing the world."

Comments like these reassure the women that creating and funding both scholarships are worth it. Every year, they learn - either firsthand at a scholarship reception or through an annual report - how their scholarships made a difference in students' lives.

To support these scholarships, visit giveto.osu.edu and search for The Pioneer Scholars Award or Fatima Kinshasa Carter Memorial Scholarship.