Alumna establishes $25,000 Endowed Scholarship for Single Mothers

Ten years after graduating from North Carolina Central University School of Law, attorney Chimeaka L. White '16 is celebrating the milestone by creating opportunities for future Legal Eagles.

White has established the Chimeaka L. White Single Mother Law Student Scholarship, a $25,000 endowed scholarship designed to help single mothers overcome financial barriers and pursue a legal education.

For White, the gift is personal. A teen mother, she earned her undergraduate degree from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University and initially considered pursuing dentistry before her path led her to law - and NCCU. When she entered NCCU School of Law, she was raising two children.

White recalls giving up multiple sources of income to pursue her legal education while balancing the responsibilities of motherhood. Expenses that might seem routine - transportation, childcare and everyday household needs - could become obstacles for a student already managing tuition and the demands of law school.

"As a single mother in law school, I understand how difficult it can be to balance education, your children and the financial responsibilities that come with both," White said. "I want this scholarship to help ease those burdens for another single mother so she can focus on achieving her dream of becoming an attorney."

White encourages single mothers considering law school not to allow fear or their circumstances to keep them from pursuing their goals. She emphasizes the importance of asking for help, finding mentors and building a network of people willing to provide support along the way.White remembers the rigor of the classroom, including professors who expected students not simply to memorize legal principles but understand how to apply them.

Among those who influenced her was Professor Irving Joyner, whose civil procedure instruction reinforced the importance of preparation in complex litigation. White also remembers administrators and faculty members who helped her navigate law school, secure financial assistance and prepare for the bar examination.

Today, White is a wife, mother, personal injury attorney and law firm owner in High Point, North Carolina. Her work includes automobile, truck and motorcycle accidents, premises liability and shooting cases. She describes her work as an opportunity to advocate for people who may otherwise feel they do not have a voice.

Nearly a decade after graduating from law school, White is also approaching 10 years as a law firm owner, a milestone that reflects the entrepreneurial skills she developed before and after entering the legal profession.

For White, establishing the endowment is more than commemorating an anniversary. It is a way of ensuring that another single mother with the ability and determination to become an attorney has one fewer barrier standing between her and that goal.