Berkeley Bay Area Alumnae Scholarships

Scholarship Sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority

Introduction
The Berkeley Bay Area Alumnae Chapter (BBAAC) of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, is a private community-service sorority composed of African American, college-educated women. BBAAC is offering college scholarships to graduating high school seniors of African/African American descent who attend high schools in Alameda County, California. Preference is given to students planning to enroll in four-year colleges or universities, but applicants who intend to begin at a community college with a plan to transfer to a four-year institution are also eligible. Awards are intended to supplement other financial aid and will depend on available funding.

Award Amount
Scholarship awards vary with available funds and are generally between $500 and $3,000.

Who May Apply
- Applicants must be college-bound high school seniors of African/African American descent enrolled at a high school located in Alameda County, CA.
- The cumulative, unweighted grade point average (GPA) for all years of high school must be at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale. This is a strict requirement; no exceptions will be made. (Unweighted means no additional points for Honors, AP, IB, or college-level courses.)
- Applicants must be available for a remote Zoom interview in March or early April; exceptions or alternative arrangements may be considered only on a case-by-case basis.

Application Submission Guidelines (preference for electronic)
- Electronic submissions are preferred. Files may be uploaded through the online application (drag-and-drop) or emailed to [email protected].
- Partial submissions are permitted, but please clearly label each file and include identifying information so materials can be matched to create a complete packet.

Required Application Materials (complete packet must be submitted by the deadline)
All of the following items must be included in your scholarship packet and received (online or by mail) no later than March 6th, 2026.

1) Completed application form in which the applicant confirms eligibility and agrees to be contacted during the review/award process.

2) One letter of recommendation (only one). Acceptable sources:
- A high school counselor or administrator (on official letterhead), or
- A teacher (on official letterhead), or
- A letter verifying community or school service (on official letterhead).
A strong recommendation should state how the recommender knows the student, describe contributions to school or community, and highlight positive personal attributes and leadership qualities.

3) Academic record:
- An official transcript OR
- An unofficial grade report plus a verification letter on school letterhead (or sent from a school official’s school email) confirming the accuracy of the grade report.

4) Personal essay responding to the prompt below:
- Essay prompt: What are your college education and career goals and why are they important to you?
- You should describe your discovery process, current activities/experiences, and why these goals matter for your life beyond earning a living.
- Length: minimum 1 page and maximum 2.5 pages.
- Formatting: margins may be up to 1 inch (can be slightly smaller); font size no larger than 12 pt and no smaller than 10.5 pt.

Submission Deadline and Responsibility
- All required materials (items 1–4 above) must be submitted online or postmarked by March 6th, 2026. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure the packet is complete and submitted by the deadline. Questions may be sent to [email protected].

Interview
- Selected applicants should be prepared for a Zoom interview scheduled in March or early April. If scheduling an interview within that timeframe is impossible, rare exceptions or alternative arrangements may be made at the committee’s discretion.

Additional Notes
- All documents may be submitted electronically and letters may be on official letterhead or sent from an official school/service email address.
- The award amount varies and is intended to supplement other sources of funding.

Contact
Email questions to [email protected].