Centenary University awards full four-year scholarship to student dedicated to improving race relations
HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. (Warren County) — Centenary University has awarded this year’s Grace Y. Bissett and Louise Monez Hill Scholarship to Leilahni Ladipoh of Glen Burnie, Md. The prestigious four-year scholarship covers the full cost of attendance—including tuition and fees, room and board, books, transportation, travel, and miscellaneous expenses—for a student pursuing a career that improves race relations.
The scholarship was established through an estate gift from Centenary alumna Louise M. Hill ’40 in memory of her aunt, Grace Y. Bissett, who made her education possible.
“Centenary University is proud to recognize Leilahni Ladipoh as the recipient of this year’s Grace Y. Bissett and Louise Monez Hill Scholarship,” said Devon Vialva, scholarship committee chair and the university’s assistant dean of diversity and inclusion and director of the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP). “Leilahni’s scholarship application stood out to the committee for her commitment to bridging divides to bring mental health awareness and services to children of all races and ethnic groups. We are excited to see her grow as a campus leader at Centenary.”
Centenary University President Dale Caldwell, Ed.D., surprised Ladipoh with the news during freshman move-in day. A volleyball player, she had arrived on campus a week earlier with the rest of the university’s NCAA athletes, so her family wasn’t present when she learned of the award.
“At first, it didn’t click,” recalled Ladipoh, who had applied for the scholarship a year earlier at the urging of Brooke Armida, Centenary’s women’s volleyball coach. “It was completely out of mind; the news didn’t feel real. Then, I called my mom, dad, and grandparents. They were all so proud, they were crying.”
A graduate of Glen Burnie High School, Ladipoh first discovered Centenary while researching colleges online. Though not an equestrian, she was drawn to the university’s renowned equine studies program and welcoming campus.
“Everyone was so welcoming,” she said. “I didn’t really want to attend a bigger school because I’d never get one-on-one time with my professors.”
Now in her first semester, Ladipoh is majoring in psychology and hopes to become a children’s behavioral health therapist. Her dedication to increasing access to mental health services across racial and ethnic lines reflects the mission of the Bissett and Hill Scholarship.
“I want to end uncomfortable conversations about race and truly understand everyone’s perspective,” Ladipoh said. “Certain races and ethnicities don’t have as many opportunities to receive therapy, and sometimes it’s even frowned upon. I believe that everybody deserves to be seen and heard. We’re all the same on the inside.”
Ladipoh said she has canceled her student loans and expressed deep gratitude for the scholarship.
“Your donation would be going to something so worthwhile,” she said. “With a scholarship, students like me can focus on their studies, and later, not struggle to pay off student loans. Thanks to this scholarship, I can really breathe and not worry about my financial future.”
