Aliyshah Shamburger, a senior nursing student at Cal State San Bernardino, is one of six students in the 23-campus California State University who are recipients of the CSU’s first-ever Black Student Success Scholarship.

All six were honored during a June 14 livestream ceremony as part of the second biennial CSU Juneteenth Symposium.

“I am extremely grateful to the CSU’s Black Student Success Scholarship team for supporting my academic dream of becoming a registered nurse and also for the recognition of being one of the few chosen recipients,” Shamburger said. “Their contribution will significantly impact my life through the rest of my time in the nursing program.”  

Scholars were selected for their leadership in increasing equitable access to higher education and their dedication to community service focused on anti-racism efforts and fostering a culture of Black excellence. Each recipient will receive a $5,000 award for the 2024-25 academic year.

In announcing the award for Shamburger, Aaron Moore, executive director for advancement at the CSU Chancellor’s Office and chief financial officer for the CSU Foundation, said, “Aliyshah is beginning her fourth out of five nursing school semesters at CSUSB. Her personal experiences and clinical rotations motivated and pushed her to further her study in the healthcare field.

“She believes people in her care should feel heard and know she's paying attention,” Moore said. “Her experience in nursing school has increased her awareness of the inequalities that people of color face, particularly with regard to access to quality health care and effective patient care. She believes it is a great privilege to be a nurse, and with just one more year of nursing school, Aliyshah will be able to enter someone's life at a difficult time and change their circumstances for the better.”

CSU Chancellor Mildred García applauded the students’ achievements.

“It is my great honor to award the inaugural Black Student Success Scholarship to six extraordinary students who have demonstrated their passion for supporting the Black community in service beyond the classroom,” said García. “These scholars represent the highest ideals and brightest future of our university system and embody our commitment to creating a culture and community throughout the CSU where all students, faculty and staff have equitable representation, holistic support and an authentic sense of belonging.”

The CSU is privileged to serve as the country’s largest and most diverse public four-year university and remains committed to becoming a national leader in Black student outreach, recruitment, enrollment, persistence, success and graduation. The inaugural Black Student Success Scholarship represents another key milestone of the CSU’s continued growth in advancing Black student success and elevating Black excellence across the 23-university system.

Named with Shamburger as recipients of the 2024 inaugural CSU Black Student Success Scholars are:

  • Armand Jovaughn Egere, CSU Dominguez Hills
  • Asad Franklin, Sonoma State
  • Tajuddin Henry, San Diego State
  • Olympia Joy Pereira, San Francisco State
  • Chloe Thomas, Cal State Long Beach

About the CSU Juneteenth Symposium & Black Student Success

The CSU’s second biennial Juneteenth Symposium took place June 13-14, 2024, via livestream (Calstate.edu/Juneteenth). In collaboration with Sacramento State, the two-day #CSUJuneteenth event featured world-class speakers and thought-provoking panel discussions that showcased the contributions of the African American community, highlighted the ongoing work taking place across the CSU system, and provided a space for authentic dialogue on actionable steps the CSU – and colleges nationwide – can take to solidify the success of Black students.

The CSU’s inaugural Juneteenth Symposium in 2022 was a call to action for the university system. Following the event, the CSU convened a team of subject matter experts and university leaders to develop recommendations that would position the system as a national leader in Black student success. The resulting June 2023 action plan included 13 forward-thinking recommendations for championing inclusive excellence, closing equity gaps and advancing social mobility for Black students across the university. 

Continuing its momentum and commitment, in 2024 the CSU conducted a systemwide inventory and asked each university to identify one to three meaningful action items to achieve within the 2024-25 academic year that would support Black student success. In April 2024, the CSU announced an allocation of $4.6 million in one-time catalyst funding to aid in the implementation of more than 65 action items systemwide.

In May 2024, the CSU also announced the launch of its first-ever statewide central office for Black Student Success. The new central office will cultivate and innovate transformative practices across the system’s 23 universities and underserved communities.