Along with the growing popularity of gospel music, including praise team worship and other artistic expression of faith, the local Sampson County Alumni Chapter of North Carolina A&T State University provides the community with an annual gospel scholarship program during the last weekend in April.
It just so happens that the gospel scholarship program is scheduled for tonight at the historic First Baptist Church in Clinton, located at 900 College St., beginning at 6 p.m. This signature event of the local A&T alumni chapter has allowed the alumni group to provide scholarships and other support to local high school students who are planning to attend NC A&T.
Being that this scholarship program is a community-wide event, members of the local alumni chapter would like to invite all local A&T alumni and all HBCU alumni, friends and supporters to join us tonight for an evening of joyful sounds, uplifting music and spiritual inspiration. Also, we invite you to join us in our continual commitment of investing in our local youth and to support us in our general aim to increase college and career success for our youth in Sampson County.
Additionally, this wonderful evening of gospel music and artistic expressions of faith is free and open to the public, and we do expect a very large turnout. However, donations will be accepted in the form of a free will offering with the expectation that people will give cheerfully and generously to this worthy cause. And your support of our A&T alumni chapter will benefit current and future students by allowing us to award scholarships and financial aid, so we can help other deserving local high school students in achieving their academic and professional aspirations.
As a collective body, the Sampson County Alumni Chapter of NC A&T takes great pride in being able to help make more local students a part of the North Carolina A&T experience that will help them have an impactful college life. Indeed, North Carolina A&T is a place where their success truly matters. Recently, the soon-to-be- retired NC A&T Chancellor Harold L. Martin Sr. explained, “We deliver an education that not only prepares our students for rewarding careers in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, we deeply value each and every individual who entrusts us with that responsibility.” And upon graduation, NC A&T alumni will continue to move A&T forward, “spreading thy trophies year by year from Dare to Cherokee.” Aggie Pride!
With that mindset, it’s not hard to understand why N.C. A&T produces more Black engineers than any university in America at the undergraduate, master’s and doctoral levels. Also, North Carolina A&T State University is the largest HBCU in the nation, with the most students and leads in academics, research, and innovations.
Organized in 2011 and officially chartered on Feb. 26, 2012, our alumni chapter remains committed to helping make dreams come true. And for over a decade, this scholarship program has become a cause close to our hearts.
Larry Sutton is a retired educator who taught at Clinton High School.