His story
The Nelson Hopkins Jr Scholarship celebrates the life of Nelson Hopkins Jr, a young man with a bright future that was tragically taken away in December 2009. Nelson Hopkins Jr., a senior at Alta Vista High School (now Guadalupe Centers High School), was walking home from the library with a college application in his pocket when he was robbed and shot to death near the corner of 54th Street and Lydia Ave in Kansas City, MO.
The Scholarship Fund was an idea proposed by the men of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity and the women of Alpha Sigma Alpha sorority at Rockhurst University as a way to remember Nelson Hopkins Jr. and pay forward his example of working toward educational achievement. Though Nelson was not able to attend college, this scholarship carries on his memory to help other students fulfill their dreams of post secondary education.
Since 2010, the Nelson Hopkins Scholarship Fund awards scholarships to graduating seniors at Guadalupe Centers High School. The one-thousand dollar scholarship award is renewable for four years. The program also funds field trips to regional colleges and universities to help Guadalupe Centers High School students explore college options.
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Nelson Junior’s potential and promise were extinguished before having the chance to fully blossom, but his legacy is a reminder for each of us to draw out the potential and promise inside all of us. Please join us in remembering Nelson Hopkins Jr. by donating to the Scholarship Fund.
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Upcoming
Events
Since its start in 2010, the Rockhurst student sponsors have organized and supervised the Hopkins 5K Run to raise funds for college scholarships for students at Guadalupe Centers High School.
To continue this legacy, the Scholarship Fund is hosting a Virtual 5K to be completed during the month of May 2024.
