Sandi Fuqua Scholarship

Sandi Fuqua served as a beloved member of Whitley Law Firm’s legal team until her untimely death in 2020. She passed from Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker Disease after over 26 years with the firm. Her infectious laugh, warmth, and willingness to stick it to insurance claims adjusters are sorely missed.

With Sandi’s memory in mind, Whitley Law Firm is offering its Sandi Fuqua Scholarship. The scholarship promises $2,500 to an academically gifted undergraduate or graduate student who has enmeshed themselves in their communities. The firm wants to celebrate students who marry their chosen communities with their life-long dreams.

Students applying for the Sandi Fuqua Scholarship can submit a 1-2-minute video essay detailing their community engagement through Whitley Law Firm’s scholarship application form.

Application Requirements

Undergraduates and graduates alike can apply for Whitley Law Firm’s Sandi Fuqua Scholarship so long as they meet the following criteria:

• Applicant must be enrolled or accepted at an accredited college, university, or graduate school
• Applicant must pursue their secondary education in the United States
• Applicant must agree to the scholarship’s terms and conditions
• Applicant must submit all essential application materials and information

Scholarship Video Essay Topic

Whitley Law Firm wants incoming and current college students to consider the following questions:

• What does your community mean to you?
• Where do you come from, and what community are you a part of?

Please create a 1-to 2-minute video discussing your commitment to your university of choice and the community or communities you hail from. Ask yourself how these communities have shaped your life and how they’ve shaped you into the person that you are today.

Once you’ve finished creating your video essay, Whitley Law Firm requests that you edit it and submit it to a YouTube account as an unlisted video. You can then upload a link to that unlisted video alongside your Sandi Fuqua Scholarship application.

Additional Video Essay Requirements

Please include your name, applicable credits, information sources, and the program you used to create and edit your video at the end of the essay.

The videos must be recorded in well-lit areas while holding your recording device of choice as still as possible.

Please use only copyright-free content and develop a creative, catchy title that reflects your ideas.

Application Deadline

Students have until June 15, 2026, to submit their video essays to Whitley Law Firm. The firm’s scholarship selection committee will reject any applications submitted after this deadline passes.

The firm then reserves up to three months to consider its scholarship applications and select a winner. The winner can expect to receive an email from the firm informing them of their decision and requesting additional information regarding their enrollment status and the exact address of their school to which the check should be mailed. Unfortunately, Whitley Law Firm cannot reach out to non-winning applicants.

Likewise, Whitley Law Firm requests that neither students nor their families contact the firm for updates on a scholarship application’s status. Parties with questions about the nature of the scholarship can revisit its terms and conditions for more information.

Terms and Conditions

All applicants to this scholarship must meet the eligibility requirements as laid out on the scholarship application page, including:

• Applicant must be enrolled at a college, university, or graduate school
• Applicant must be at least 18 years old at the age of enrollment
• Applicant must have residency in the United States
• Applicant must be in good academic standing
• Applicant must submit some personal information, including name, contact information, and proof of enrollment.
• Applicant must author an original video essay on the scholarship topic provided.

Anyone who meets the following conditions is NOT eligible to apply:

• Employees or children of employees of Whitley Law Firm
• Past recipients of the Sandi Fuqua Scholarship
• Applicants who are unable/unwilling to be interviewed by a representative of Whitley Law Firm if they were to be awarded a scholarship.
• Applicants who submit the same video essay for multiple scholarships or for multiple years in a row