Southside Virginia students selected for Beales Scholarships at William & Mary
All students across 12 counties are eligible for Beales Scholarships on admission to W&M
August 28, 2025
By
Jacob A. Miller ’18
This fall, two students from Mecklenburg County are beginning their college education at William & Mary thanks to the opportunities provided by the Harriett Pittard Beales Scholarship and the Walter R. Beales III Scholarship. This year’s recipients, Anthony Okoye and Gracie Poos, bring with them remarkable records of academic achievement, leadership and dedication to their communities. As they begin classes at the Alma Mater of the Nation, they do so with the support of a scholarship that not only eases their financial burden but also connects them to a legacy of mentoring and giving back that will continue long after graduation.
The two Beales Scholarships honor the legacy of the late Harriett Pittard Beales ’34 and her son Walter R. Beales III ’66, whose lives have been marked by service and deep commitment to their community in Southside Virginia.
All students from Southside Virginia — including 12 counties and the City of Emporia — who are admitted to William & Mary are automatically considered for the Beales Scholarships. No separate application is required, and recipients are chosen based on academic achievement, leadership, community service, character and other personal accomplishments. Established by the Beales family to inspire and support promising students from their home area, these merit-based scholarships have helped open the doors of William & Mary to talented young scholars for more than three decades.
Okoye and Poos joined their classmates in the last week of August for the excitement of William & Mary’s Opening Convocation, marking the start of their college journey. William & Mary’s general application is now open, and all students from the eligible Southside Virginia counties are encouraged to apply to be automatically considered for both of the Beales Scholarships.
Founded in 1693, William & Mary is the Alma Mater of the Nation, educating leaders and public servants for well over three centuries. William & Mary prides itself on providing an excellent liberal arts education grounded in a tight-knit community of traditions, while also affording its students opportunities of large, modern research universities.
Anthony Okoye — Harriett Pittard Beales ’34 Scholarship recipient
A graduate of Mecklenburg County High School and the Governor’s School of Southside Virginia, Okoye spent his high school years excelling in academics and developing skills that combine both discipline and creativity. He plans to double major in neuroscience and mathematics, building on his passion for STEM research and his goal of becoming a neuropsychiatrist.
Moving to Virginia to from Nigeria in 2019, he quickly adapted to a new culture and academic system. The COVID-19 pandemic, rather than slowing him down, fueled his drive.
In high school, as a student ambassador and Beta Club member, he participated in community clean-up projects, while his leadership in Scholastic Bowl taught him how to coach and encourage peers.
Two years ago, he took on a personal challenge: teaching himself to play the piano. Today, he plays for churches across the region — a testament to his persistence and his desire to share his talents with others. He also describes empathy as central to his character: “It’s a great skill to connect with people not just on a passing level, but on a deeper level.”’
“I trusted my gut,” Okoye says on his decision to attend William & Mary. “It was definitely the right decision — because of its small size, William & Mary has a strong sense of community, and the university provides a clear path for my future.”
That path includes opportunities for student research and close mentoring by professors, a hallmark of W&M given its size that was especially appealing to him.
For Okoye, receiving the Beales Scholarship is both a relief and a motivator. He says it eases the financial burden on his family while affirming the dedication that brought him here.
“The Beales Scholarship is an investment in my future,” he says — one he intends to honor through his studies, his research and his contributions to the William & Mary community. “It takes a load off my family’s back and allows me to focus fully on my academics without the fear of the burden of college costs. This support affirms that the path I’ve chosen is worth walking.”
Gracie Poos — Walter R. Beales III ’66 Scholarship recipient
From the forest floor to the dance floor, Gracie Poos brings a unique combination of talents to William & Mary. Co-salutatorian of Mecklenburg High School’s Class of 2025 and a graduate of the Governor’s School of Southside Virginia, she has long balanced her love for science with her dedication to dance. A talented performer with her local studio and the Richmond Ballet, she is also a Virginia Master Naturalist with a deep passion for environmental stewardship. At William & Mary, she plans to double major in environmental science and biology.
“I feel like William & Mary is a very personable school,” she says in describing her reasons for choosing W&M. “The professors, the students — you can make such personal connections. It felt like a family.”
Poos’s environmental interests grew through hands-on research at the Governor’s School, where she studied the effects of land use on zooplankton populations. Her Virginia Master Naturalist training opened her eyes to “how interconnected nature is, and how much one thing relies on another,” inspiring her to protect the biodiversity she hopes to study professionally.
Throughout high school, Poos honed her skills in dance under the guidance of her longtime instructor Michelle Harris ’93, a William & Mary alumna whose mentoring shaped both her artistry and her aspirations. Harris not only nurtured her growth as a dancer but also encouraged her to consider William & Mary, recognizing how its community and opportunities would allow her to flourish.
The Beales Scholarship, Poos says, will allow her to embrace these opportunities fully: “It’s a support that gives me the freedom to focus on learning and exploring,” she reflects. “It is such an honor to receive this scholarship and something I’m very grateful for. It enables me to continue doing what I love, and I hope to give back what I’ve received by making my family and supporters proud.”
A legacy of service and creating opportunity
The Beales family has established two scholarships at William & Mary. The first honors Mrs. Harriett Pittard Beales, Class of 1934, of Boydton, Virginia, who taught high school and was involved in many ways in service to her community in Mecklenburg County over her 100 years of life, including mentoring young people and serving as the organist at her church for more than six decades. During her time at William & Mary, she chaired the Women’s Honor Council, served as vice president of the Women’s Student Government and was also crowned May Queen as a senior.
Established in 1984 by her sons, Walter Beales ’66 and Randolph Beales ’82, on the 50th anniversary of her graduation, the Harriett Pittard Beales ’34 Scholarship perpetuates Mrs. Beales’s love of William & Mary and continues her legacy of mentoring young people. Since its establishment, the scholarship has already assisted over two dozen first-year students from all over Southside Virginia.
The Walter R. Beales III ’66 Scholarship was created in 2016 in Mr. Beales’s honor on the 50th anniversary of his graduation by his brother, Judge Randolph A. Beales, a member of the Class of 1982 and a judge on the Court of Appeals of Virginia as well as the former Attorney General of Virginia. Walter Beales, an attorney who has practiced law in Southside Virginia for over 30 years, is also deeply involved in his community in Boydton and Mecklenburg County and has long believed in giving back. He keeps in contact with many of the scholarship recipients over the years as a mentor and friend — well after their graduation from William & Mary.
Students from Southside Virginia who are admitted to William & Mary are automatically considered for the Beales Scholarships. Applications to the university are now open for the Class of 2030.