Osagie Scholarship Endowment hits major milestone. Here’s what it means for State High students
With the Osaze Osagie College Scholarship Endowment recently reaching its six-figure fundraising goal, a different State College senior is now set to receive a $5,000 scholarship every year, indefinitely.
According to the endowment committee, it has already surpassed its $100,000 goal by raising $107,284 as of last Thursday. And, as the endowment continues to grow, the annual State High scholarship amount of $5,000 could also increase.
“Our family is touched beyond words at how the community has come together to support this scholarship created in the spirit of Osaze’s love of community and volunteerism,” Osagie’s father, Sylvester, said in a written statement. “We are grateful for the outpouring of love and support we have received and look forward to supporting young students’ commitment to volunteerism in our son’s name, for years to come.”
The Osagie College Scholarship Endowment was created in memory of Osaze, a 29-year-old Black man who was shot and killed by local police on March 20, 2019, after they arrived to serve a mental health warrant. Osagie’s family hoped the scholarship might celebrate Osaze’s life — he’s been described as a “gentle giant” — and not focus on his death.
According to Charima Young, one of the endowment committee members, the scholarship is designed for one “racially underrepresented” SCASD senior, with priority given to those with a focus on community service.
Applications will become available around mid-March, after spring break, on the State High portal with the other available scholarships. The 11 members of the endowment committee will then decide on the first-ever recipient, who will be announced in early May.
The idea for the endowment first took shape in 2020 when several local groups approached the Osagie family about raising funds for a scholarship. The Osagies jumped on board, focused it on Osaze’s spirit of community service, and a committee was formed in early 2021 to formally launch a fundraising campaign.
In August, the committee publicly announced the campaign with $64,000 raised in its silent phase. Donations included gifts from more than 200 individuals, with $25,000 given from the Palmer Foundation and another $7,332 raised during Giving Tuesday on Nov. 30.
“Osaze was a special young man, and his heart for volunteerism really impacted the community,” Young said. “And we want that aspect of his legacy to live on and encourage our current young people to give back.”
Members of the Osaze Osagie College Scholarship Endowment Committee include Rich Bundy; Mimi Barash Coppersmith; Felisa Preciado Higgins; Lorraine Jones; Nalini Krishnankutty; Lawrence Lokman; Ezra Nanes; Sylvester and Iyun Osagie; Rija Sabeeh and Young.
Online donations can still be made toward the endowment through Centre Foundation.
