Walter P. Riley Radical Change Scholarship

Scholarship funds will be awarded in the 2025-2026 academic year. Students graduating in spring and summer 2025 are not eligible.

  • Awarding Department: Liberal & Creative Arts
  • Scholarship Intent: To provide scholarships to undergraduate students in any major in the College of Liberal & Creative Arts who are committed to pursuing radical social change through community activism. Graduate students are not eligible to apply to this scholarship.
  • Criteria:
    1.Students must have a commitment to advocating for youth empowerment, envisioning an equitable society, organizing for system changes that improve the lives of many, and challenging the limitations that have kept equity from being reality.
    2.Students who demonstrate that they are class conscious and anti-racist, have a world outlook, and commit to fighting exploitation, gender politics and oppression, and not engaging in work or causes that displace or marginalize people.
  • Major: All Majors within the College of Liberal & Creative Arts
  • Class Level: Undergrad: Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior
  • Enrollment Status: Continuing and entering students can apply
  • Enrollment Requirement: Undergrad: 1 or more units
  • Financial Need as determined by the FAFSA and/or CA Dream App: No
  • Citizenship: Any
  • Minimum GPA: No minimum GPA required
  • Reference letter: Must provide 1 reference letter
  • Contact Person: Arsham Pourfallah
  • Phone Number: (415) 338-1471
  • Email: lcastudentservices@sfsu.edu
  • Amount of Award: Varies
  • Number of Awards: Varies

Donor
In Honor of Walter P. Riley
Award
2 awards, $1,500 each
Scopes
College of Liberal & Creative Arts
Deadline
03/26/2025
Supplemental Questions
  1. You must be an undergraduate student at the time of application and payment. Graduate students are not eligible. Are you an undergraduate student in academic year 2025-26?
  2. Please upload your SFSU unofficial transcript in PDF form here. If you are an entering student, upload an unofficial transcript from the institution you attended most recently.
  3. Personal statement (not to exceed 700 words): Please describe what you have done in the past or are currently doing in the present to create a more just and equitable society. Specifically, describe your commitment to fighting systemic racism, gender oppression, exploitation and/or inequality with concrete examples that demonstrate how your actions may have impacted your communities.
  4. Please provide the name and e-mail of an individual who can provide a reference on your behalf. Your reference provider should be familiar with you and able to speak to your personal, professional and/or academic achievements. Faculty, colleagues or mentors are highly recommended. Please be sure to inform the individual that you are listing them as a reference provider and provide them context on the scholarship for which you are applying so they can tailor their reference accordingly, and inform them that the letter must be submitted by the application deadline.