The Rockbridge chapter of the NAACP will host a talk by Rockbridge resident Amiyah McCoy on Thursday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. at the Randolph Street United Methodist Church, with a reception to follow.
McCoy graduated in June with honors in biology from Mary Baldwin University, where she began her studies after completing just her freshman year at Rockbridge County High School. Besides excelling academically at Mary Baldwin, she was active in school and community activities including as an EMT in Augusta County.
She will be talking about the importance for today’s young people of the community support to help them pursue the education needed for a successful future – and to allow them to give back to their communities.
McCoy was the first recipient, in 2021, of the NAACP Ted DeLaney Youth Opportunity Program’s education grant for students pursuing higher education. “The Rockbridge NAACP is more than pleased to know that we had a hand in supporting Amiyah as she has successfully completed her college education at just 18 years of age,” said Rev. Reginald A. Early, the president of the Rockbridge NAACP chapter and pastor of RUMC. “The best is yet to come for her.”
In her four years at Mary Baldwin, Amiyah McCoy worked as a peer tutor for fellow students in her areas of biology – with a concentration in biomedical sciences – and chemistry, which was her minor. She was the recipient of two prestigious awards for her community service in a number of areas and was Head of Class in the Ida B. Wells Honor Society. She graduated magna cum laude.
“I stand on the shoulders of those who believed in me and invested in my education,” said McCoy. “The support of my community has been the driving force that allowed me to pursue my goals, and I want to use my education and training to give back in the same way.”
On Oct. 9, she will also talk about how a young student from a local school system can adjust to city college life and how students like her work to pursue life goals and the next steps after college. For McCoy, her first next step will be attending the Murphy Deming College of Health Sciences program affiliated with Mary Baldwin, with the goal of starting a medical career as a physician assistant.
McCoy’s talk will be followed by a question- and-answer session and light refreshments from Let Them Eat Cake LLC.
The Ted DeLaney Youth Opportunity Grant Program honors the late Dr. Ted DeLaney, Professor Emeritus of History at Washington and Lee University and chair of W&L’s Africana Studies Program. A Lexington native, Dr. DeLaney graduated from W&L with a bachelor of arts in history, cum laude, in 1985 and earned his doctorate from the College of William & Mary in 1995.
In the four years since it was founded, the program has given upwards of $20,000 in grants to college-bound students and to those pursuing technical training, as well as to families applying to send their school-age children to summer youth and after-school programs. The program seeks to promote racial equality and educational opportunities for community members in need. It is open to residents of Rockbridge County, Lexington and Buena Vista up through age 21. Girls, women, and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Generous donations from local institutional and individual donors have made it possible to offer these stipends to cover the costs of education-related initiatives, projects, and instruction. Examples include college tuition and supplies, job-training program costs, summer program fees, after-school program registration fees, educational supplies, and field trips. Donations to the program can be made online at https://rockbridge-naacp-teddelaney- youth-grant.square.site/ or sent via check to the Rockbridge N AACP, P.O Box 1065, Lexington, VA 24450.
For more information on the work of the Rockbridge NAACP chapter, to volunteer or become a member, visit https://rockbridgenaacp. com/contact-us/.
