Six Alabama State University students were excited as they received scholarships from the Ralph J. Bryson, Ph.D., Academic Scholarship Fund on Sept. 4 in the President’s Conference Room.
Assembled for the occasion was the university President Quinton T. Ross Jr., Ed.D., president of the Alabama State University board of trustees Brenda Brown Dillard, members of the graduate chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
The six students who received $2,000 scholarships, which they can use for expenditures related to their education are Destanie Charles, a freshman majoring in biology-pre-medicine and a native of Miramar, Florida, Van Vinson, a freshman majoring in business management and a native of Montgomery, Jaden Smith, a freshman majoring in computer science and a native of Memphis, Tennessee, Radley Porterfield, a freshman majoring in computer science and a native of Montgomery, Matthew Cook, a sophomore majoring in biology pre-medicine from Atlanta, Georgia, and Jayden Prise, a freshman majoring in biology-pre-medicine and a native of Atlanta, Georgia.
The chairman of the Bryson Scholarship Fund, Robert Banks, made the presentations to the students.
“Today’s event symbolizes the excellence that Dr. Bryson exemplified as one of the longest-serving faculty members at Alabama State University,” said President Ross. “As a former student of his, this gives me great joy in knowing that Dr. Bryson is still impacting our students in a positive way through his scholarship fund.”
Some of the students expressed their appreciation for the Ralph Bryson Scholarship shared their feelings.
“This award is very helpful to me,” Cook said, “In a way that allows me to be supported by the many costs involved in attending the university, which includes my books, a meal plan, housing, and numerous other things.”
Prise had similar feelings and expressed his gratitude.
“This award means a lot to me in knowing that a group of ASU alumni, all fraternity brothers, showed that they believe in me and my fellow winners and have invested in all of us to ensure that we attend and graduate from Alabama State and accomplish great things at ASU and in life,” Prise said.
Vinson said, “When I received the Ralph Bryson Scholarship, it was a memorizing moment that is forever stamped in my book of accomplishments. It was not just the financial part that was favorably appreciated; it was the fact I received this scholarship opportunity out of dozens of individuals my age. Attending the ceremony and seeing that only six of us were chosen and that I was included triggered excitement inside me. The meeting was amazing.”
The scholarship fund honors Bryson, who served a 59-year tenure at the university as a department chair and a professor of African American Literature before his retirement in 2012. Bryson died on Feb. 12, 2022.