Thank you to all of the entrants of our 2025 Sandi Fuqua Scholarship, which is now closed. The winner will be notified on this page shortly. The next round is prone to begin in November 2025.
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 wants to debut 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
The Application Process
Students should first assess the application requirements to determine whether or not they qualify for Whitley Law Firm’s Sandi Fuqua Scholarship. If students meet the criteria above, they can:
- Fill out the application form on this page
- Add a URL link to an unlisted scholarship video essay
The firm will contact the winner to confirm their enrollment status and academic performance. Students might be requested to submit additional documentation, such as proof of collegiate enrollment in the form of a Student ID, letter of acceptance, or similar document, and an unofficial transcript from their institution of choice.
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
Selection & Award Notification Process
Whitley Law Firm’s scholarship selection committee will review all applications that meet this scholarship’s criteria. Age, race, religion, gender, national origin, familial status, or other protected classes will have no influence on the committee’s decision.
The team cannot answer questions about the nature of this scholarship or the status of a student’s scholarship application at this time. Students can instead check Whitley Law Firm’s website for updates about the application review process.
Whitley Law Firm will only contact its winning student before announcing that winner on its website. The student can expect congratulations to appear as a blog post and press release. Whitley Law Firm will then work directly with the student’s chosen academic institution to deliver the scholarship winnings to said institution ahead of the coming academic year.
Privacy Statement
Your personal information will not be given, sold, or distributed to third parties.
We reserve the right to use the winners’ names and photos in any announcement or communication related to the scholarship on Whitley Law Firm’s website, in marketing materials, or in social media posts.
By submitting your application, you agree to our public use of your name and image.
Previous Winners
The Sandi Fuqua Scholarship celebrates Whitley Law Firm’s Office Manager, Intake Manager, Negotiator, and Pre-Litigation Department Manager, Sandi Fuqua. The team misses her every day and is grateful for the over two decades she lent her expertise to the firm. We’re proud to celebrate the students who’ve won her scholarship here.
Future applicants can revisit this page to find blog posts and press releases applauding previous winners’ achievements.
