The legacy of Richard Collins III—a student who tragically lost his life on the University of Maryland’s campus last year—will be kept alive through the creation of scholarships for HBCU students in the Maryland area, the Journal for Blacks in Higher Education reported.

An annual $1 million scholarship was launched in honor of Richard Collins III, a Bowie State University student killed in May 2017. It will support ROTC cadets at all four of Maryland's HBCU's. https://t.co/qbOcD6ncMN — WJZ | CBS Baltimore (@wjz) November 29, 2018

Collins—who was a senior at Bowie State University—was the victim of a hate crime, the news outlet writes. While visiting the University of Maryland he was fatally stabbed by a white man. Collins had so much going for him. He was a 2nd Lt. in the Reserve Officer Training Corps and was slated to graduate just days before he lost his life.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan recently shared that the state would fund a $1 million scholarship—dubbed the 2nd Lt. Richard W. Collins III Leadership with Honor Scholarship—which will be awarded to students who attend historically Black colleges and universities and are a part of the Reserve Officer Training Corps. Students who attend Coppin State University, the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Morgan State University, and Bowie State University will be eligible for the scholarship.

The families of several individuals who lost their lives to violence have chosen to honor their legacies by helping others further their education. The family of Tamara E. O’Neal—a medical student who was murdered by her boyfriend in Chicago—launched the Tamara E. O’Neal Memorial Fund as an avenue to create scholarships for young, Black medical students. “Tamara was an incredible advocate, particularly for physicians of color or anyone that may have expressed an inkling of doubt, as her disarming nature and warm smile made it easy for even the shyest aspiring doctor to inquire about the amazing job she loved, and in due time lend herself as a resource,” said one of her classmates in a statement.

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Scholarship For Black Medical Students Created In Memory Of Tamara O’Neal

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