Black Alumni Scholarship program builds community, support for Beach students
For David Ifediba, finding a Beach 鈥渇amily鈥 was all he needed to help him feel like he wasn鈥檛 navigating campus alone.
After struggling a bit his first year to find a sense of community, the second-year graduate student in school psychology discovered folks at the , the Black Resource Center and the Student Affairs Division.
鈥淥nce I found my niche, things just kinda made more sense,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 found my community and my area to go to. The Student Affairs office has been instrumental to my growth. Dr. (John) Hamilton and Tracy Kelly both 鈥 treated me almost like another son. They provided me resources all the time that I would not have found anywhere else.鈥
Ifediba, a Nigerian American who鈥檚 also a first-generation college student, is one of 30 students who have received a Black Alumni Scholarship over the past three years.
鈥淭he scholarship has been instrumental in helping me with my cost of attendance,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 allowed me just to focus on campus. With the extra funds, I鈥檝e been able to pay for living expenses, especially in So Cal, where it鈥檚 super expensive. I鈥檝e been able to give back to the community that has given to me.鈥
The Black Alumni Scholarship was founded in 2021 by Hamilton, associate vice president of student success & equity. This weekend, the program is celebrating its third 鈥淥ne Village, One Purpose鈥 fundraising gala at Ovation Square in downtown Long Beach.
![John Hamilton John Hamilton](/sites/default/files/styles/wysiwyg_300w/public/images/2023-04/John%20Hamiltonv2%20%282%29.jpg?itok=06PKmW6t)
One main reason for starting the scholarship was to develop an institutionalized, consistent way of providing support to African American students at The Beach, who comprise about 3.7% of the spring 2023 population. Before the program, Hamilton said he and his wife provided informal support to students for tuition, books, transportation and living expenses. That lasted about 10 years.
But he realized he couldn鈥檛 fund students from his own pockets forever, and a more formal system and event needed to be established to get more Beach-affiliated people involved.
鈥淲e want students to be able to stay at Long Beach State,鈥 Hamilton said. 鈥淓specially our first-generation Black students, some of whom are working 20-plus hours per week. We want them to still be deeply involved in what they鈥檙e studying and doing. And they need to be getting funding to stay in school 鈥 to support their graduation.鈥
To date, the gala has raised about $300,000 for scholarships and 蜜桃影像鈥檚 Black Resource Center.
鈥漁ver the last two or three years, this gala has helped build a community across campus,鈥 Hamilton added. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a way for our Black alumni to come back and connect. It鈥檚 our Black excellence event. It鈥檚 our Black Harlem in Long Beach.鈥
The keynote speaker at this year鈥檚 gala will be Shirley Weber, secretary of state for California. The master of ceremonies will be Mike Gipson, representative for the 65th District in the state Assembly. And the mistress of ceremonies will be Diamond Byrd, a graduate student and executive vice president of
This year鈥檚 honorees will include distinguished 蜜桃影像 alumni and Long Beach community members: Darick Simpson, president of ; Pastor Wayne Chaney Jr. of ; Doris Robinson, executive director of the ; and Kagba Suaray 鈥98, professor of mathematics and statistics at The Beach. Current and previous scholarship recipients will also be recognized.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 have a lot of tenured professors in mathematics,鈥 Hamilton said about Suaray, who鈥檚 also a founder of , a collection of Black math scholars that provides support and guidance for math colleagues and students. 鈥淲e want to show our Black community that we are on the highest level of academics, of STEM. Of course, (Suaray) is an alum as well.鈥
Hamilton noted that over the past five years, he has received feedback from students and parents that they don鈥檛 want loans that have to be paid back with interest. They would prefer to obtain grants and scholarships.
To that end, organizers have managed to get dozens of corporations, foundations and individuals to contribute.
Farmers & Merchants Bank has been a supporter of the program since its founding. 鈥淪ince the first meeting with Dr. Hamilton and Tracy (Kelly) we have been inspired by their devotion and mindful approach to providing support to students through the creation of a strong, loving community committed to empowering students through education,鈥 said Tiffany Roberts, vice president of Farmers & Merchants Bank and director of the FMB Foundation.
Eliminating achievement gaps in our communities by building and strengthening programs that lead to a more equitable future for all is one of the priorities of 蜜桃影像鈥檚 comprehensive No Barriers fundraising campaign.
Gigi Givens, a second-year student majoring in business finance, said the scholarship money she received has helped pay for textbooks and Long Beach transit, since she doesn鈥檛 drive. A bus pass costs $100 each semester.
鈥淚 think finances are a struggle for a lot of students,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 come from a low-income family with a single parent and three older sisters. The fact that there are people out there who want to assist us 鈥 I think that aspect really motivates me, because there are people who want to see us succeed.鈥
Givens added that donors and fellow scholarship winners have been a great network for her.
鈥淚 feel like I met some really incredible people, including other Black Alumni Scholarship recipients. We鈥檙e all from different majors.鈥
![David Ifediba and Gigi Givens David Ifediba and Gigi Givens](/sites/default/files/styles/wysiwyg_max_width/public/images/2023-04/Black%20Alumni%20Scholarships-1.jpg?itok=Ui9n3JyM)
And now she wants to pay it forward.
鈥淲henever I do see a Black student on or off campus, I tell them to get involved with the Black Resource Center and other resources. I鈥檓 hoping I can have an impact on at least one Black student, so they can tell their friends through word of mouth.鈥