Members of GVSU Black sorority begin campaign for endowed scholarship

Members of a historically Black sorority at Grand Valley are raising money to support students while ensuring their own legacy on campus.

The Lambda Pi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. established an endowed scholarship in 2019 to celebrate its 45th anniversary at Grand Valley. Members set a goal of raising $450,000 over 10 years to help students complete their studies at GVSU. Less than a year into their campaign, they have raised $51,000.

Chapter president Maya Sanders, a senior who is majoring in behavioral neuroscience, said the scholarship will help eliminate barriers to college. 

"If I would have had this scholarship, I wouldn't have had to work 40 hours a week in addition to going to school," Sanders said. "Receiving this scholarship will relieve the financial weight off of someone's shoulders." 

The Legendary Lambda Pi Legacy Endowed Scholarship will provide support to students who demonstrate alignment with the sorority’s mission of education and service. There are five categories within the scholarship, each with its own award. 

Special consideration will be given to scholarship candidates who meet criteria that includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Are from major urban cities with histories of socioeconomic challenges; 
• Are students of color;
• Are the first generation in their families to attend college;
• Have been raised in single-parent households;
• Have one or more incarcerated parents; or
• Have experienced foster care or placement.

Tamika A. Frimpong, ’96, is a member of the Lambda Pi Legacy Scholarship Committee and is leading alumni fundraising and outreach for the scholarship.

Now vice president and deputy general counsel for BorgWarner in Chicago, Frimpong said arriving at Grand Valley in the 1990s was quite different from her hometown of Detroit. Finding a place within the sorority, she said, gave her a sense of community.

"I loved every aspect about it: the service projects, emphasis on academics and the sense of belonging to something larger than yourself," Frimpong said. "It's what our founders felt: An educated person helps the next generation."

Give to the Legendary Lambda Pi Legacy Endowed Scholarship online.