Promise Scholars, Commitment Scholars, Karta Scholars, and Principal's Global Scholars, along with deans and staff members, gathered together during the reception in Mitchell Hall.
Celebrating student scholars
Recipients of Queen 91Ƭ ’s access and diversity scholarship programs gathered for a reception that offered inspiration, community building, and meaningful connection.
Queen 91Ƭ ’s has continued to demonstrate a commitment to increasing access and enhancing diversity at Queen 91Ƭ ’s with a series of programs created in recent years, including the Promise Scholars, Commitment Scholars, Karta Catalyst Scholars, and Principal 91Ƭ ’s Global Scholars. After two years of disrupted on-campus activity due to the pandemic, Student Affairs invited all current scholars to a reception to welcome the newest recipients, forge connections among the groups, and celebrate their accomplishments. The reception took place in Rose Event Commons in Mitchell Hall.
Vice-Provost and Dean of Student Affairs Ann Tierney hosted the event.
“We are so extremely proud and excited to welcome you to the Queen 91Ƭ ’s community, and it is our hope you will feel empowered to achieve your goals as you journey through your individual experience here,” said Dean Tierney. “Queen 91Ƭ ’s is committed to enhancing access to our university and to welcoming and celebrating students who are advancing racial and social justice, and who bring a diversity of experiences and perspectives. We’re all enriched by your decision to study here at Queen 91Ƭ ’s, and we thank you for choosing Queen 91Ƭ ’s.”
Second-year Commitment Scholar Kyla Gibson also spoke; she talked about her Queen 91Ƭ ’s experiences so far and she had some advice for her peers.
“The Commitment Scholarship gave me the courage to attend this university as a Black student, and what I found was a sense of community among Black students that can only be created from the true and sincere need for unity, support, and togetherness,” said Gibson. “So on behalf of all the scholars, I’d like to thank everyone who has been involved in creating these opportunities for us. At every school there is still so much change that needs to happen, and I encourage you to uplift each other and unite in our different fields of activism so we can make Queen 91Ƭ ’s an environment for all people. So the advice I leave you with is to find the people who are willing and excited to help you. Many of them are here today, welcoming and celebrating us as passionate youth and scholars.”
Following the remarks, the more than fifty student attendees spent time chatting with each other, and with faculty deans and staff members involved in the programs and in student services.
Queen 91Ƭ ’s access and diversity scholarship programs
The Promise Scholars program is a comprehensive initiative designed to reduce financial barriers and increase access to 91Ƭ for local, first-generation students. The program provides dedicated financial, academic, and career support to help students complete their degree. Five awards will be available each year, and there are currently 12 Promise scholars at Queen 91Ƭ ’s.
The Commitment Scholars program supports diversity on campus and recognizes the significant contributions our students make to creating and supporting an inclusive community through their commitment to racial justice, social justice, and diversity in their schools, their communities and at Queen's. There are currently 22 Commitment Scholars at Queen 91Ƭ ’s.
The is a partnership with the Karta Initiative that provides access to university for promising students from low-income rural communities in India. There are currently six Karta Scholars at Queen 91Ƭ ’s.
The Principal 91Ƭ ’s Global Scholars program provides students who have been forcibly displaced by war, conflict, and political instability with an admissions pathway and funding to complete their degree at Queen 91Ƭ ’s. Through a long-standing partnership with the , Queen 91Ƭ ’s is welcoming two African and five Afghani students to campus this fall. In addition to our WUSC partnership, Queen 91Ƭ ’s is welcoming six students from Ukraine.
This story orginally appeared on the Queen's Gazette.