Uplifting Others

This scholarship has enabled me to be a better student and leader on Grounds,” said Latrell L. Lee (McIntire ’20), a 2019-20 recipient of the Modell Family Scholarship. Just as the Modell Family Scholarship helped Lee, he has contributed time and attention to uplifting others and intends to continue doing so after graduation. Among his many roles, Lee has served as president of the Black Commerce Student Network, peer mentor, Charlottesville City of Promise volunteer, and as a teaching assistant for a course in entrepreneurship and one in project management.

Also grateful for his educational experience at the McIntire School, Lee cites the school’s rigorous Integrated Core Curriculum and his concentration in information technology for preparing him to be a future leader in business. A summer internship at Capital One in McLean, Virginia, was also a formative and positive experience for Lee. After graduation, he will begin working at Capital One as a software engineer.

As a student, Lee was intellectually curious. He took classes that immersed him in the world of business and that developed his interest in African American Studies. As a leader on Grounds, Lee made strong connections that extended to the Charlottesville community and that he plans to maintain after moving to the McLean area.

I've always embraced my Blackness and made sure to use it as my motivation to be the best version of myself,” said Lee. “I owe it to my community now and to those who've come before me.

- Latrell Lee

Community connections have a special meaning for Lee, going back to his UVA connection with his hometown, Danville, Virginia. Lee notes that the first Black man to attend UVA, Gregory Swanson, who attended the School of Law, was also from Danville.

“I've always embraced my Blackness and made sure to use it as my motivation to be the best version of myself,” said Lee. “I owe it to my community now and to those who've come before me.”

The Modell Family Endowed Scholarship Fund supports undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, with a preference for students interested in entrepreneurial studies and/or management. The fund, created in 1992, is supported by Gerald Modell and his son, Eric Modell (McIntire ’97), of New York.

Representing a one hundred and twenty-seven-year-old family business, the Modell Family are believers in giving back to the community, whether that be the local communities where they operate their collateral lending business, or the University community that has enabled the fourth generation to continue their legacy. “We are proud to continue to support students like Latrell. We are honored to help sponsor their academic success and leadership opportunities preparing them to achieve their goals and dreams after graduation.”

Since its inception in 1992, 44 students have received support from the Modell Family Endowed Scholarship Fund.