Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands Selects First-Ever Rashida A. Hodge Scholarship Recipient

Adaina Smith of St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Rashida A. Hodge Scholarship, the transformational award that provides full tuition, fees, housing and mentorship for up to four years at North Carolina State University (NC State).

Smith, selected by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) scholarship committee, will begin her educational journey this summer through NC State's Summer Start Program before joining the university this fall.

The scholarship was established through a $1 million endowment created by NC State alumna and Microsoft executive Rashida Hodge in partnership with CFVI, where she also serves as a board member. As the largest scholarship award in CFVI's history, it was created to expand access to higher education for students from the U.S. Virgin Islands public school system by removing financial barriers and creating a direct pathway to one of the nation's leading public research universities.

For Hodge, the scholarship represents a deeply personal mission. The scholarship fulfills a long-held goal of creating opportunities for Virgin Islands students to access the same educational pathway that helped shape her own future.

A graduate of Charlotte Amalie High School in St. Thomas, NC State and Duke University, Hodge attended college through the support of scholarships that allowed her to graduate debt-free and begin her career without the burden of student loans. She established the scholarship to provide future Virgin Islands students with the same opportunity that helped transform her own life.

"Scholarships changed the trajectory of my life," said Hodge. "I came to NC State because others invested in me, and I graduated debt-free because people I had never met believed in my future. Growing up, my parents taught me that if you believe in something, you have to be willing to make a sacrifice. This scholarship is my way of paying that gift forward and creating the same opportunity for the next generation of Virgin Islands students."

Hodge, a St. Thomas native, now serves as corporate vice president of cloud and AI platforms at Microsoft. She established the scholarship in honor of her grandmother, Ioline Hodge, whose legacy of generosity, faith and service continues to inspire her commitment to expanding educational opportunity for others.

"Rashida elevates NC State in all that she does through her leadership, service, and philanthropic commitment," said Brian Sischo, vice chancellor for university advancement at NC State. "This partnership creates life-changing opportunities for talented students from the Virgin Islands while strengthening the connection between NC State and a community that has produced remarkable leaders like Rashida. We are thrilled to welcome Adaina to the Wolfpack family.”

Students from the U.S. Virgin Islands often face significant financial and geographic barriers when pursuing higher education on the mainland. The Rashida A. Hodge Scholarship was created to help remove those barriers while strengthening the connection between the Virgin Islands and NC State for future generations.

"Rashida's story is extraordinary because she has reached the highest levels of global leadership while remaining deeply connected to the community that shaped her," said Dee Baecher-Brown, president of CFVI. "This scholarship creates opportunities that will impact students and families for generations while strengthening the connection between the Virgin Islands and NC State."

Inspired by the launch of the scholarship, Hodge is encouraging other leaders to consider establishing scholarships and educational pathways, regardless of size, for next year’s graduates in their communities, demonstrating that transformative philanthropy does not require extraordinary wealth, but rather intentional planning, sacrifice and a commitment to creating opportunities for others.

"I am deeply grateful for the Rashida Hodge Scholarship and mentorship opportunity," said Smith, who will pursue a business administration degree on the pre-law track with hopes to become an attorney. "It gives me the chance to attend NC State and fully dedicate myself to my education without placing financial strain on my family. This opportunity motivates me to grow into a leader who not only succeeds, but also gives back and opens doors for others."

"My hope is that years from now there will be dozens of Virgin Islands students walking across NC State's campus because one student became two, two became ten, and ten became a tradition," said Hodge. "This scholarship isn't just about helping a student attend college. It's about creating a pathway that can change families for generations."