Congratulations 2026 Scholarship Winners

This year, ORABSE received 69 applications for the Dr. Ernest Hartzog Founders Scholarship. Selecting recipients was no easy task. Our scholarship review committee was deeply impressed by the exceptional talent, leadership, dedication, and potential demonstrated by each applicant.

Committee members carefully evaluated every application, considering students’ academic achievements, community involvement, extracurricular contributions, personal essays, and future aspirations. The quality of the applications was outstanding, making the final selection process both challenging and inspiring.

After a thorough review, six students emerged as our top candidates.

Ava Cabine Spelman College	D'Angelo Strong University of Minnesota	Eldana Babis University of Southern California
Nia Moore Spelman College	Tsion Ermias Portland State University	Aleeyah Rhodes Howard University

We are proud to announce that D'angelo Strong has been awarded the Dr. Ernest Hartzog Founders Scholarship, a four-year award that can provide up to $35,000 annually to support his educational journey.

The remaining five finalists will each receive a $5,000 scholarship in recognition of their remarkable accomplishments and promising futures.

We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all of our applicants. Your hard work, perseverance, and commitment to excellence give us great confidence in the future.

We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to the ORABSE members who generously volunteered their time and expertise to review scholarship applications. Their thoughtful evaluations and dedication made this process possible.

Scholarship Review Committee:

Cassandra Hyman Deon Logan Domenica Griffith Dorian Smith

Dr. Dyan Watson Marilyn Hartzog Mohammad Rahman Renee Anderson

Sidonia Simpson Symone Sparrow Timisha Wilson