Felicia and Riley Mitchell Special Education Scholarship

The Felicia and Riley Special Education Scholarship was established by a group of women composed of Sam Houston State University Alumni. This group of women are members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated which is a private, not-for-profit organization whose purpose is to provide assistance and support through established programs in local communities throughout the world. The Sorority currently has 1,000 collegiate and alumnae chapters located in the United States, and abroad, one of which is the Kappa Mu chapter, which was founded on the campus of Sam Houston State University on April 27, 1973. Felicia LaTresa Mitchell, whom this scholarship is in memory of, was initiated on the chapter’s 27th line (The Divine Descendants of Delta) along with 36 other initiates in the fall of 1991. To carry forth Felicia’s dedication as a mother and member of the sorority, The Divine Descendants of Delta created this scholarship to uphold the sorority’s Five-Point Programmatic Thrust: economic development, educational development, international awareness and involvement, physical and mental health, and political awareness and involvement. This scholarship seeks to honor the dedication, unconditional love, and hard work that Felicia devoted to Riley. Riley was challenged with obstacles such as not being able to walk, talk, see, or hear. Felicia embraced every opportunity to give Riley all that she could give, never thinking of herself first. She was dedicated to learning about and addressing the cognitive and physical needs of Riley. Felicia understood the importance of education and wanted nothing less for her daughter and others. This scholarship is aimed to assist a student who is dedicated to the field of special education and understands the need that all students, no matter their physical and cognitive development, deserve an education that is structured to meet their individual needs.