Graduates of Virgin Islands public high schools now have a new opportunity to fund their tertiary-level education, with the creation of the Rashida A. Hodge Scholarship Fund, established by its namesake Rashida Hodge, a board member of the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands.

The fund will offer a full scholarship to North Carolina State University, Ms. Hodge's alma mater. Recipients of the undergraduate scholarship will have tuition, fees and housing fully covered for the duration of their program.

Ms. Hodge, who earned both bachelor's and master's degrees in industrial engineering at NCSU, said earlier this month that “giving will forever be my positive disruption of choice.”

The endowment, says Ms. Hodge, “allows me to give Virgin Islanders an opportunity to further their education at the very place that was formative to my development and career.” She created the fund in honor of her grandmother Ioline Hodge, whose “legacy of giving and faith” most shaped her granddaughter. “I think of who my grandmother could or would have been had she received opportunities for education and exposure,” Ms. Hodge remarked. “In every way, my success is her success.”

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must have graduated from a public high school in the territory. They must demonstrate both academic success and financial need, and must have been accepted by NCSU. The annual award may be renewed up to three times, provided the student maintains a grade point average of at least 3.25 and remains in good standing with the university.

“Rashida's extraordinary gift embodies the spirit of community and selflessness,” said CFVI President Dee Baecher-Brown. “Her Commitment isn't just about creating opportunities for individual students, it's about strengthening the entire Virgin Islands community, one future leader at a time.”

Applications will open in March 2025, and the inaugural Rashida A. Hodge Scholarship will be awarded in time for the 2025-2026 academic year.