L Brand Foundation Aaron Raines Memorial Award

As a creative writing major, Aaron Raines was prodigiously talented. With intelligence and profound empathy, she wrought from her personal experience prose that sought to make sense of the world, when often it made no sense at all. A kind, vibrant, and strong young woman, she worked incredibly hard to get where she was, and more importantly, to get where she was going.

One of Aaron’s most admirable traits was her resilience. She did not have an easy childhood, but despite the odds as a teenager, she wrote and self-published a novel, co-founded “Think Pink,” an organization dedicated to mentoring and empowering young girls, and was her high school’s first black valedictorian. Aaron eventually moved from Virginia to New York to pursue college, even working full-time at Victoria’s Secret to independently support herself.

At CCNY, Aaron excelled in her studies, and was even awarded a prestigious Jeannette K. Watson Fellowship where she was able to live and learn in South Africa. But these are just some of Aaron’s many accomplishments. The compassion, joy, and hope she carried within her, and how she was an incredible light in the room, is the real story. Aaron led an expansive life – she was a daughter, a sister, a friend, a student, a leader, and a writer who was fully engaged and full of so much promise. How bright that light may have shone, we’ll never know – but undoubtedly, it would have been brilliant.
Aaron’s life was tragically taken in November of 2016, and she was posthumously awarded her B.A. in June of 2017. Created by the generous donation of the L Brands Foundation and the City College Community and Alumni, The L Brands Foundation Aaron Raines Memorial Scholarship seeks to keep her indomitable spirit and memory alive.

In order to apply for this scholarship, students must (be):

• Undergraduate
• Demonstrated financial need
• Excellent academic standing (minimum 3.5 GPA)
• Demonstrated commitment to social service, youth development, and/or social change
• Student must have completed a minimum of 24 credits but no more than 60 to apply
• Student must be enrolled in a minimum of 12 credits

To apply please submit:

• The accompanying application
• A personal statement indicating their goals and why they believe that they are a good candidate for this scholarship.
• Two academic letters of recommendations supporting their candidacy.
• A resume