Growing up in a single-parent home in Oxford, N.C., Sharika L. Sneed knew it would be difficult to afford an education at a private institution like Johnson C. Smith University, where she has family ties. Even though her grades in high school qualified her for merit-based aid, she knew it wouldn’t be enough. Founded and chartered in 1867, Johnson C. Smith University enjoys a long and proud history as one of the Southeast’s leading historically black universities. Smith’s reputation for academic quality and its nurturing and supportive environment make it an attractive destination for promising high school graduates — not only North Carolinians like Sneed, but also students from outside the Carolinas, who account for more than half the student body at Smith. Smith, like most private educational institutions, faces an ongoing challenge in remaining affordable for families of limited economic means. Nearly 95 percent of Smith students receive some sort of financial aid. Without aid such as that provided through The Duke Endowment Scholarships, many students like Sneed would find it impossible to attend Smith. But the additional need-based aid she received from Smith’s Duke Endowment scholarships made the difference, she said. Not only was Smith able to offer her a better financial aid package than another school she was considering, but the Smith offer would allow her to devote her full time at school to academics, without taking on a part-time job. “My not having to work to pay for school made a big difference,” says Sneed, who as a junior has been on the dean’s list for her entire career at Smith. “If I had not received assistance from The Duke Endowment Scholarship, I wouldn’t be here,” says Sneed, who plans a career in marketing. | 
