A Message from the Founder
Representation matters. About 13% of the U.S. population is Black, yet Black physicians make up only about 5% of the physician workforce. I founded the Black M.D. Scholarship Program in 2022 alongside two of my siblings, Julliet and Emmanuel Ogu, with the goal of supporting motivated Black students in Texas who are interested in careers in medicine. With the process of gaining admission into medical school becoming increasingly expensive and competitive, I want to help reduce the barriers by providing mentorship and financial assistance to students embarking on this challenging path. I hope that our program can play a small role in increasing the number of Black physicians.
Our program was initiated with an inaugural scholarship fund of $2,000. We started by just providing aid to students at our high school and undergraduate alma maters: Fort Bend ISD schools and the University of Texas at Austin. Though we started small, I hope to grow our fund over the years and make our scholarships open to students across Texas.
I know first-hand how impactful scholarships are on a student’s academic journey. I have received almost $300,000 in scholarship aid from various sources, which fully covered the cost of both my undergraduate and medical degrees. The generosity that I have experienced has inspired me to give back to students in need. It is good to be blessed, but even better to be a blessing.
-Chisom Ogu, Founder and CEO of the Black M.D. Scholarship Program