Building Opportunities for Sistas to Shine
(B.O.S.S.) Scholarship
The Building Opportunities for Sistas to Shine Scholarship (B.O.S.S.) aims to make racial equality a reality by helping outstanding Black cis or transgender female students achieve their dreams to continue their education.
Each year, The MGAM Scholarship Foundation will provide two cis or transgender female students who have been accepted to and will attend, a 2-year or 4-year college or university or a technology/vocational school with no less than $1,750 in financial support to aid them in achieving their dream of continuing their education.
The MGAM Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors is dedicated to the growth of the B.O.S.S. Scholarship. It has approved a plan for increasing the financial support provided to scholarship recipients over the next few years with an end goal of being able to provide two $2,500 scholarships each year.
Congratulations to the 2024 B.O.S.S.
Scholarship Recipients!
As part of our commitment to helping young Black women achieve educational excellence, The MGAM Scholarship Foundation helps ease the financial burden for deserving high school graduates nationwide. For the 2024-2025 school year, the Foundation was pleased to award two students with a $1,500 scholarship each:
Z’haria Anderson
Z’haria currently resides in Oakland, California. She graduated from Encinal High School. Z’haria will be attending University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California in the Fall and is looking to major in Business Administration. This summer Z’haria will be interning full-time for the Kaiser Permanente.
How does Z’haria celebrate the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women? “I have learned to celebrate black women through action and advocacy. For example, as an avid reader, I recognized the absence of black literature in our school’s library. This prompted me to initiate a series of fundraising campaigns in hopes of using the funds to create a collection of diverse literature that empowered black female students like myself. Utilizing my previous work experience and knowledge acquired from business literature, I quickly surpassed our fundraising goal and helped organize a field trip to a black-owned bookstore in Oakland. This initiative led to the purchase of over one hundred books by African American authors that we then donated, enriching the diversity of our school library, and creating a more inclusive and positive environment for my school’s black population.”
Z’haria plans to use the scholarship award for dorm supplies.
Loren Davis
Loren currently resides in Houston, Texas. She graduated from Yes Prep East End Secondary. Loren will be attending Smith College in the Fall in Northampton, Massachusetts and is looking to major in English with a concentration in Journalism. This summer Loren got into a Journalism program for Rice University, so will be participating in that program.
How does Loren celebrate the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women? “One of the most important factors in celebrating the strength of black women is representation. Serving as President of the Black Student Association for my high school, it is very important to me that every voice within my community is heard. After becoming elected, I have ensured that the culture of the Black community is embraced, by creating spirit weeks and campus celebrations. Additionally, being a trans athlete who constantly faces legal hurdles while competing in sports, I embody the resilience of Black women and seek to be a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. By becoming the first openly transgender athlete on campus, I have been a trailblazer in spreading awareness regarding discrimination the Queer community faces.”
Loren plans to use the scholarship award towards the $3,000 gap she has for her tuition or for other general college expenses.
Past Recipients
Eligibility Requirements
To be considered for a B.O.S.S. Scholarship, you must meet the following criteria:
- Cis or Transgender female
- At least one parent of African descent (e.g., African-American, African, Black Caribbean, Afro-Latina)
- Graduating High School Senior
- Have been accepted at a two- or four-year college/university, or accepted at a vocational/technical school and plan to attend school in the fall of your high-school graduation year
- Legal U.S. citizen or permanent resident
- Less than 20 years of age
- Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher (based on a 4.0 scale)
- Not financial need based but financial need sensitive
Scholarship Timeline:
- February – Scholarship applications are available on February 1st.
- March – The application deadline is March 31st, 11:59 p.m. EST. Depending on the volume of applications, volunteer reviewers may evaluate applications and make final recommendations to the MGAM Board of Directors. The MGAM Board of Directors makes the final approval.
- April/May – Applications reviewed. The selected recipients will be notified via email of their awards and are required to complete award acceptance steps.
- May/June – The President of MGAM mails scholarship checks to recipients.
How Winners Are Chosen:
In selecting B.O.S.S. scholarship recipients, The MGAM Scholarship Foundation will look for candidates who have the potential to excel as scholars, as leaders, and as contributors to the celebration of the beauty, power, and resilience of Black women. Applications will be reviewed and scored based upon the following criteria:
- Academic Performance (GPA)
- Resumes or CVs
- Essays
- Letters of recommendation
- Responsibilities and Financial Need