The Office of Scholars and Fellowships Welcomes New Program Coordinator

The Office of Scholars and Fellowships is pleased to welcome Lorielle Bouldin as its new program coordinator this fall. Lorielle joins the University of Richmond from VCU’s Division of Community Engagement.

At the University of Richmond, Lorielle leads marketing efforts for fellowship opportunities and supports the administrative work of the office. She also supports Scholar programming, such as the First-Year Retreat in downtown Richmond and each semester’s slate of Signature Events, which include alumni networking events, excursions to local museums and events like the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Richmond Folk Festival, and the always-popular annual Scholar Prom. Lorielle is excited to help students access the wealth of opportunities around them, whether that’s with nonprofit organizations in the city or navigating the many opportunities offered by the university.

Lorielle, who graduated with a degree in history from the College of William & Mary, has a particular interest in civil rights movements in America. During her undergraduate studies, Lorielle explored her interests outside of the classroom through her contributions to The Lemon Project, which encourages and supports scholarship on the 300-year relationship between African Americans and William & Mary. Lorielle co-chaired a committee that conducted primary source research on landmarks across campus, aiming to better contextualize the figures these landmarks memorialized and ultimately make that context more accessible to the public. Lorielle and her co-chair collaborated with a history professor to expand this research into a full-fledged course; because of her contributions to the committee, Lorielle was invited to serve on the Board of Visitors as a student representative.

After graduating, Lorielle worked in William & Mary’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion before returning to her hometown, Richmond. Before becoming a Spider, Lorielle worked in VCU’s Division of Community Engagement, supporting the department’s work developing and maintaining relationships with the greater Richmond community. Lorielle’s interest in history and civil rights hasn’t diminished, however. Since returning, she has become involved with the Ealey Project, which looks to honor and reveal the life and legacies of Roland J. “Duke” Ealey, a civil rights lawyer from Richmond’s Jackson Ward neighborhood. Lorielle’s research focused on Ealey’s grassroots activism in Virginia. “From neighborhood organizations to Bar associations, Ealey was very active within the Richmond community, making it his mission to fight for a more equitable society,” Lorielle notes. “His achievements were widespread: he encouraged local political participation, desegregated Virginia courtrooms, and even assisted with Brown v. Board of Education," says Lorielle, who remains involved in the Ealey Project in her spare time.

Outside of the office, Lorielle is a voracious reader. Having minored in creative writing, it will come as no surprise that she enjoys poetry, highlighting Nikki Giovanni as one of her favorite poets. Lorielle also enjoys a wide range of movies and recommends her favorite—The Wiz—if you haven’t already seen it! Lorielle also encourages students to take advantage of all that the city of Richmond has to offer, saying that Richmond “really feels like the center of things, and there’s always something to do, from visiting the museums to checking out local music and food festivals.” Lorielle looks forward to getting to know the Richmond Scholars community better and supporting their success as they pursue their academic, personal, and professional goals. If you stop by Tyler Haynes Commons 308, be sure to say hello!