SSUF Establishes the Cheryl Bramblette Memorial Scholarship

Shawnee State University Foundation has established the Cheryl Bramblette Memorial Scholarship, an endowed award designed to support students pursuing degrees in early childhood education through the university’s School of Education. The scholarship will primarily benefit graduates of Portsmouth High School, with eligibility potential extended to students from surrounding counties and other education programs.

Funded by SSU alumna Sarah Bramblette, the scholarship honors the memory of her sister, Cheryl Bramblette, and their mother, Sharon Bramblette, while creating new opportunities for local students to access higher education.

“Shawnee State was never just a university to us,” Bramblette said. “It was part of our neighborhood and our lives. I don’t know where I would be if I didn’t have the opportunity to go to college in my backyard. That is exactly what this scholarship is meant to give someone else.”

The Bramblette family’s connection to Shawnee State spans generations and is deeply rooted in Portsmouth, where they grew up just blocks from campus. As children, Sarah and her siblings attended summer enrichment programs at the university, often walking there from their home on Fifth Street. The family also used the university’s dental hygiene clinic for routine care, and their mother, Sharon, took night classes while raising her children. Several of Sarah's siblings still live in the Portsmouth area.

Cheryl Bramblette enrolled at Shawnee State to pursue a degree in early childhood education. After being diagnosed with aplastic anemia in high school, she balanced her studies with periods of home instruction and part-time enrollment. She died in 1992 during her second year at the university at age of 20. During her time in school, she served as captain of the flag corps, played volleyball, and was active in her church choir.

Following Cheryl’s death, Sharon Bramblette returned to Shawnee State, earning both an Associate Degree in Business Administration and an Associate Degree in Nursing—the latter just weeks before her 50th birthday. She went on to work as a registered nurse at Southern Ohio Medical Center. Sharon Bramblette died in 2022, having long hoped to establish a scholarship in Cheryl’s name.

“My mom always wanted this, and Cheryl never got to finish what she started,” Bramblette said. “Establishing this scholarship is my way of honoring both of them, making sure Cheryl’s memory lives on and that my mother’s wish is fulfilled.”

For more information or to discuss establishing your own scholarship, contact the Shawnee State University Foundation at (740) 351-3284.