WSSU graduate Jeremiah Erby establishes $10K annual scholarship

Winston-Salem State University alumnus Jeremiah Erby learned an important concept from his experience with the University of Chicago that inspired him to give back to his alma mater.

When he applied for his master’s degree, it was called the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. By the time he interviewed, it was the Booth School of Business, named after David Booth, an alumnus who donated $300 million to the school, which in turn, renamed the school in his honor.

Erby pondered why Booth would do that aside from the naming privilege opportunity. After looking into other business schools that were named after donors, he concluded that people who donate on that level either want to pay it forward because things are going great; or things aren’t going great, and they want to help make improvements so those in the future can have better opportunities.

Essentially, if it’s good, you give because you’re grateful. If it’s bad, you give so it can get better, he said.

The former is why he established The Jeremiah Erby and Therrian Zeigler Non-Endowed Scholarship in March of this year. Therrian Zeigler is his wife’s father, who was an advocate of historically black colleges and universities.

The $10,000 annual and renewable scholarship is need based and is open to students majoring in business administration, accounting or economics at WSSU, who have a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Erby knows firsthand the financial challenges of obtaining a college education. A $500 debt he owed to a college in Charlotte nearly cost him his future. Coincidentally, he met a woman at a local church who recognized his potential and helped to get him into WSSU. She happened to work in the admissions office.

“Student debt is real,” he said. “It’s crazy to think about how $500 almost wrecked me.”

Erby excelled at WSSU. He was president of an organization called Black Men for Change and participated in a UNC in Washington Program, where he worked with the UNC Federal Relations Office one summer. His senior year, he interned at Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Raleigh.

After graduating in December 2006 with a double major in business and economics, he joined the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as a bank examiner in Chicago. He transferred from that office to the Columbia, SC, location before deciding to attend graduate school back in Chicago at the Booth School of Business.

While at Booth, he studied abroad for a stint in Sydney, Australia, and traveled to New Zealand, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia.

In his career, he has also worked for JP Morgan Chase and Meta (formerly Facebook) before settling in Los Angeles, where he has worked with Google in global partnerships for the Chrome OS business since November 2021. He lives there with his wife and son.

In starting the scholarship, Erby said he and his wife had been talking about doing something like this for a long time: “Helping our folks.”

“We are our savior,” he said. “If that’s the case, then how does that show up. We are the answer to prayer for someone.”

Just like WSSU was the answer to his. Erby said he dealt with family challenges in his youth, and WSSU became his oasis.

“I almost had a negative view of Winston-Salem because of everything that went on there. Winston-Salem State, to a very large degree, helped to rewrite and revamp that. Winston-Salem State gave me everything I needed to thrive,” he said.

“I am wildly aware of how blessed I am and how improbable my life is. I believe in giving back,” he said. “From a Bible standpoint, ‘when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink, when I was naked, you clothed me. If you do it to the least of these, you do it unto me.’”

“Alumni giving continues to be a vital source of support for current students. It’s stories like Jeremiah’s that make the work we do in the Office of University Advancement worth it,” said Titus Lee, associate director of annual giving. “What’s important to note is that Jeremiah didn’t start out giving at this level. He gave smaller amounts that increased over time.”

Lee encourages the 30,000-plus WSSU alumni to not allow the size of a contribution to discourage giving. “It’s the small gifts that add up to make a big impact. We are very appreciative to Jeremiah and his wife for their continued support and investment in student success at Winston Salem State University,” he said.

To apply for the $10,000 scholarship, eligible students must write a 500-word essay with the prompt, “Why did you choose your major and what impact do you plan to make with it?” Applicants must be in good academic and disciplinary standing as determined by the WSSU Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid. For more information, email Financial Aid at financial.aid@wssu.edu or visit WSSU Scholarship Universe.