Lettie Pate Whitehead Scholarship for Women
Author: The Crusader Staff Writer, Iris Bertin
The Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation was formed around the influential spirit of Lettie Pate Whitehead, a woman whose life was an inspiration through her immense sense of dedication and courage. The Foundation is aimed to grant scholarships to women, specifically in the South, to help them further their undergraduate education. Having gained this scholarship opportunity, I, along with about fifty other women of the Belmont Abbey College community, are encouraged to recenter our focus on our studies through the great example of Lettie Pate Whitehead’s life.
After receiving this scholarship, six of us were granted the opportunity to meet with Carrie Conway, the Senior Program Officer of the Foundation. Being able to invite Mrs. Conway to our campus and expressing our gratitude to her through the foundation that she helps to run was an enormous gift.
In being able to discuss our future academic plans, future goals outside of college, and campus life here at the Abbey, Mrs. Conway was able to get a better feeling of how this scholarship is impacting us. This feeling of putting a face to a name and having the chance to speak one on one with someone that is helping to aid your college education is a beautiful opportunity for both parties. Danashia Tucker, a student, reflected on meeting Mrs. Conway; “It was an honor being able to receive the gift of the Lettie Pate Whitehead scholarship. The scholarship has had an incredible impact on my education. I appreciated getting the opportunity to personally meet with a representative of the foundation and the other recipients. Learning about the legacy and life of Lettie Pate Whitehead was inspiring.”
The Foundation’s goals are being met through this foundation and Lettie Pate Whitehead’s legacy has spread to 200 educational institutes and to more than 12,000 women who are receiving this scholarship each year. This foundation and scholarship program is aiding bright young women in pursuing their academic dreams and I am honored to have had the ability to represent the college in this way with many other talented and courageous young women here at the Abbey.
This article was originally posted in the Fall 2022, Issue 2 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue.
