Berkeley Bay Area Alumnae Scholarships

Introduction

The Berkeley Bay Area Alumnae Chapter (BBAAC) of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, is a private community service sorority of African American, college-educated women. BBAAC isoffering college scholarships to high school seniors of African/African American descent in Alameda County. Although the emphasis is placed on recipients attending four-year institutions, applications will be accepted from students who plan to attend a community college with the intention to transfer to a four-year institution. The amount of the award will vary according to available funding. The award is intended to supplement other financial resources.

Scholarship Award Amount

Awards may range according to available funds and will typically be from $500-$3,000.

Applicant Criteria

Scholarships will be awarded to applicants that meet the following criteria:

1. All eligible applicants are college-bound high school seniors of African/African American descent attending a high school in Alameda County, California.

2. Eligible applicants must submit a full and complete scholarship packet with the required elements (i.e. a recommendation letter and a grade report verification letter for thoseusing an unofficial grade report or unable to submit an official transcript) on letterhead as stipulated in the Scholarship Application Packet Checklist (p.2 of this document). Electronic submissions are preferable. Submission of materials in portions is allowed, yet please aid us as much as possible with appropriate identification and labeling to support our best effort to pull all portions together for a complete scholarship packet.

3. The grade point average (GPA) minimum requirement is cumulative (all years of high school), un-weighted, and must be 3.0 (on a four-point scale) or higher. There will be NO EXCEPTIONS to the GPA minimum. Electronic submissions are preferable.

4. Electronic submissions are preferable and can be submitted online dragging files into the online of application and/or sent via email to scholarship@bbaacdst.org.

5. Scholarship applicants must be able to participate in a Zoom remote interview in March or early April. Exceptions or alternatives may be allowed on a case-by-case basis.

A grade point average that is un-weighted does not include the additional grade points of weighted courses such as: Honors (H), Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or college level (CL) courses.

Scholarship Application Packet Requirements & Checklist

Note: All application materials may be electronic, on letterhead, and submitted electronically from an email address of the school or service entity.

1. A completed application which includes the applicant confirming their eligibility of the scholarship and agreeing to be contacted as part of the scholarship evaluation and/or awarding process;

2. One letter of recommendation. Please choose only one letter to submit from any of the following options:

• a high school counselor or administrator on official letterhead;
• a teacher on official letterhead; or
• a letter of recommendation verifying your service to your community, or school on official letterhead;

3. A strong recommendation will include: the capacity in which the recommender knows the applicant, any contributions to the school, class, or organization they can speak of for the candidate, and any notable and positive personal characteristics and leadership. An official transcript OR an unofficial grade report accompanied by a letter on letterhead or from a school email account of a school official verifying the grade report to be true;

4. An essay:

• Essay prompt: What are your college education and career goals and why are they important to you?
  • This may include discovery, current activities, and experiences and should expound on what the candidate feels is important for their life beyond creating a livelihood.
  • Length is a minimum of 1 page and a maximum two and a half pages (margins are at a maximum of 1 inch, but can be slightly smaller; font size should be no larger than 12pt and no smaller than 10.5pt);

5. All elements of the scholarship application (Items 1-4 of this list) submitted online or via postal mail and postmarked by the March 6th, 2026 deadline.

6. The applicant’s ability to participate in Zoom remote interview to be determined in March or early April. If an agreeable time to conduct the interview cannot be determined, rare exceptions or alternatives may be allowed on a case-by-case basis.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to make sure the scholarship application (Items 1-4 of this list) is complete and submitted by the deadline. Questions are welcome via email to scholarship@bbaacdst.org.