Secure Your Sponsorship for the Candice O. Walker Memorial Scholarship Gala

Twenty years after a group of University of Mississippi students established a scholarship in memory of their sister and friend, we gather to celebrate and expand her legacy.

Candice O. Walker Candice O. Walker was a 21-year-old senior studying communicative disorders at Ole Miss when her life was tragically cut short in a 2004 car accident. Over the next year, her family, friends and sorority sisters mourned her and raised more than $10,000 to establish a scholarship in her name.

Her younger sister, Courtney, was also an Ole Miss student and fellow member of the Theta Psi chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. She led the successful fundraising effort at just 20 years old with the help of her sorority sisters and many friends.

Since 2006, a deserving Ole Miss student in the School of Applied Sciences has received this scholarship every year.

Twenty years later, Courtney McClellan-Brown is leading a second fundraising effort to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of her sister’s scholarship endowment and hopefully expand the impact of the Candice O. Walker Memorial Scholarship. Together with her husband, Bryan McClellan-Brown, a former Ole Miss football player who is now the team's co-defensive coordinator, Courtney hopes to increase the scholarship endowment so that more students who share Candice’s dreams and ambition might be helped.

Candice O. Walker (right) and her sister, Courtney McClellan-Brown.A native of West Point, Mississippi, Candice had been an honors student, a multi-sport athlete, talented artist, award-winning dancer and faithful community volunteer. She left behind a loving family and a multitude of friends. She planned to graduate from Ole Miss in May 2005 and start her career as a speech pathologist. The scholarship in her name ensures that her legacy lives on in students for years to come.

Please join us in the celebration! The Candice O. Walker Memorial Scholarship Benefit Gala is Friday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m. at the Oxford Conference Center and is open to sponsors only. If you cannot attend but would still like to contribute to the scholarship endowment, please click to give.

The gala will feature dinner, entertainment and special guest Rose Flenorl, an Ole Miss alumna and FedEx Global Citizenship manager. Help create a lasting impact and come together with friends, family and community members. We look forward to seeing you!

Candice (top center), Courtney and their AKA sisters at Ole Miss.

Candice (third from left), a talented dancer, qualified for the Mississippi Lions All State Band in high school.