Chartered on December 4, 1991 at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD
21st Chapter President: Bro. Akosa Obianwu
Bro. Akosa Obianwu is a Spring 2024 initiate, current Chapter President, and graduating senior. He is currently involved on campus outside of Alpha in his research as an Assistant Editor for Keywords for Black Louisiana, a JHU Madrid Ambassador for the Global Education Office, has worked as an Undergraduate Intern for the Center for Diversity & Inclusion-Multicultural Affairs for 4 years, a 2x Mentor for the Black Male Initiative and 2024-2025 Mentor of the Year, and the VP of Marketing for the JHU Intercultural Greek Council. He is also a member of the African Students Association, Black Student Union, Knotty By Nature, and Pre-Dental Society
Bro. Baron Arday is a Spring 2025 initiate and will serve as the 22nd Chapter President next year. He is currently involved on campus outside of Alpha as a Research Assistant for Kirkwood Labs, a Student Assistant for the Center for Social Concern, and as the Treasurer for the Dunbar-Baldwin-Hughes Theater Company, where he was named Best New Actor for his breakout performance as “Kasim” in If Pretty Hurts, Ugly Must Be a Muhfucka. Bro. Arday mentors and tutors as a volunteer at Baltimore City College, and he was involved with the FLI Leadership Academy this year.
The 2024-2025 academic year was a special year for the Sigma Sigma Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. In furthering the Chapter’s commitment and the Fraternity’s vision, we have dedicated ourselves to creating safe spaces for Hopkins students of color and advocating for social change, community uplift, and scholarship development.
Throughout the year, we expanded our legacy study hall, Earn Your A’s, as a collaborative initiative with the Black Male Initiative. This allowed for mentors to interact on a more regular basis with their mentees. It also brought significantly more students to join the study hall to finish homework, study, and hang out with other students and friends.
As we pledge to develop leaders, promote brotherhood and academic excellence, the Adekunle Fagbenle Oratorical Competition on November 17, 2024, and the 1st Miss Black & Gold Scholarship Pageant on April 7, 2025, exemplify every way in which Alpha Phi Alpha’s greatest investments are outside itself. The Adekunle Fagbenle Oratorical Competition was a leadership development initiative where five students: Enoch Appiah, Shamarya Robinson, Divine Madubike, Omotara Tiamiyu, and Nana Osei-Owusu participated in a speech competition addressing the prompt, “What usefulness do you hope to have as a student leader at Hopkins and beyond? Reflect on what kind of leadership, initiatives, inspiration, or support is needed to create a more equitable, healthy, and rewarding environment for future underrepresented youth navigating elite institutions. What work have you done or would like to do in your roles and communities to foster this environment?” for a scholarship prize of $1,000, where Enoch Appiah WSE ‘25 won the competition.
In October, the Sigma Sigma Chapter held our Black Jobs Networking Mixer, celebrating and highlighting the representation of Black professionals in every career field, many of them Brothers, across healthcare, STEM, business, government, and the arts. Participants were able to engage in thinking deeper about their intersectional identities, the significance of taking up space and advocating for oneself in the work they do, and how identity informs the service they contribute to their communities.
The Chapter also maintained our commitment to civic action with two Get Out the Vote programs this month. Our Stamp the Vote event, in collaboration with the Center for Common Ground and the Center for Social Concern, saw us writing nearly 175 postcards to Texas voters who had not yet registered to vote, and our Phirst of All, We Vote event, held in collaboration with the Xi Tau Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., merged voter education with an interactive bingo game.
In December, the Chapter hosted our Annual World AIDS Day Celebration in collaboration with the Rho Omega Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc., the Sigma Chapter of Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi Sorority, Inc., and the Diverse Sexuality & Gender Alliance. We were able to raise money for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation as well as hold a panel discussion from experts who actively work in HIV/AIDS research and treatment efforts worldwide from Hopkins Medicine, the University of Maryland, and Chase Brexton Health Services.
In February, the Chapter performed at Federal Hill Preparatory School and the Academy for College and Career Exploration to contribute to their Black History Month Presentations, as well as hosted a Black History Month Teach-In at Hopkins for students interested in the legacy and history of Black solidarity with the Palestinian freedom movement since 1948.
The Chapter also collaborated with the Mu Psi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. in organizing Staying REDy Pt. 2, a lively, discussion-based workshop that embraced Black love and relationship health.
In March, the Chapter hosted its Annual Women’s Appreciation Dinner in collaboration with the Men of Color Hopkins Alliance. This legacy program allows us to show our appreciation and attention to the women at our institution who have made remarkable contributions that have added to our collective experience, and sets time for us to honor them for it. Cynthia Sanchez-Hidalgo KSAS ‘25, Sophia-Joy Agbelese KSAS ‘25, Mrs. Monica Odi (CDI staff), and the Dunbar-Baldwin-Hughes Theater Company were this year’s honorees.
In April, the Chapter hosted the first Miss Black & Gold Scholarship Pageant ever at Johns Hopkins University, after years of prior attempts made by Brothers to organize the event. Kirsten Amematsro ‘KSAS 27 was crowned the first Miss Black & Gold, earning a scholarship of $1,000. All of these ladies were tested in priming their public speaking abilities, fundraising, and developing their presentation skills over several weeks. They both promoted and committed to serve the Chapter for the 2025-2026 academic year in developing community uplift platforms that address international humanitarian crises, maternal mortality and mental health, youth health and wellness, and college preparedness in underserved communities. Miss Gold; Fanta Kaba KSAS ‘25, Miss Black, Ariadne García-Reyes KSAS ‘28; and Miss Sigma Sigma, Sharon Dogbo WSE ‘25 were honored with scholarships as well for their hard work and dedication to the Chapter in making history for being the first Black & Gold Royal Court at Hopkins. They will commit to one year of serving the Hopkins community with their platforms focusing on humanitarian crises, child health, postpartum care, and professional development. Recap here.
The Fraternity supported our statement addressing steep declines in Johns Hopkins University’s racial and ethnic diversity in its Class of 2028 admitted students profile, with Brothers collaborating with staff of the Eastern Region Vice President and Past General President Bro. Dr. Everett B. Ward. After sharing the statement on Instagram, our letter to the university gained more than 45,000 views and traction for the cause of several student organizations on campus with whom the letter was written in solidarity, including the Black Student Union, African Students Association, Arab Student Union, and Ethiopian & Eritrean Students Association. Chapter President Akosa Obianwu has interviewed with the JHU Newsletter, the Baltimore Banner, and NPR on the issue and participated in meetings with the Dean of Student Life and VP of Diversity & Inclusion throughout the academic year to develop strategies affecting Orientation, campus tours, and community outreach to strengthen and maintain Hopkins’ commitments to diversity by part of Admissions, Student Affairs, and student organizations. You can read the full letter here.
Over the 2024-2025 academic year, the Sigma Sigma Chapter donated $3,869.70 in philanthropy and more than 40 hours of community service to the DoubleGood Kids Foundation, the Black Student Union, the African Students Association, the Ethiopian-Eritrean Students Association, the Black Male Initiative, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation-Baltimore, the Ronald McDonald’s House Charities, the Academy for College and Career Exploration, Federal Hill Preparatory School, the Baltimore Alpha Wives, Mayor Brandon Scott’s Day of Service, Strength 2 Love 2 Farm, and 5 scholarship prizes.
The Chapter donated 78 cans of food to the Baltimore Food Pantry, clothing for the Baltimore Alpha Wives Clothing Drive, and a semester-long commitment to the AIDS Health Foundation Food For Health Program, specifically with our annual World AIDS Day Celebration, to combat food insecurity in Baltimore City neighborhoods.
On Saturday, November 1, the Sigma Sigma Chapter travelled to Salisbury, MD, for the 33rd MAAC District Conference. Chapter President Akosa Obianwu was named 2024-2025 Brother of the Year among 17 Collegiate Chapters, and won the Collegiate Scholars Bowl with Bro. Khalil Oliver (Pi Theta Chapter, Coppin State University), Bro. Alex Coughlon (Nu Kappa Chapter, University of Maryland, Baltimore County), and Bro. Shaun Wolfe (Mu Rho Chapter, Towson University).
On July 16-19, 2025, the Sigma Sigma Chapter travelled to Philadelphia, PA for the 98th General Convention/119th Anniversary Convention and won the John Hope Franklin Collegiate Scholars Bowl National Championship with Bro. Khalil Oliver (Pi Theta Chapter, Coppin State University), Bro. Alex Coughlon (Nu Kappa Chapter, University of Maryland, Baltimore County), and Bro. Shaun Wolfe (Mu Rho Chapter, Towson University) representing the Eastern Region in a historic victory for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Alpha Phi Alpha (MAAC) Chapters.
On March 22, 2025, the Sigma Sigma Chapter, along with Area 5, was honored to host nearly 300 Brothers across Maryland, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. on the Homewood Campus for the Mid-Atlantic Association of Alpha Phi Alpha Chapters’ Spring Staff Meeting.
On April 18-19, 2025, the Sigma Sigma Chapter travelled to Bethesda, MD for the 93rd Annual Eastern Regional Convention and was honored as the Collegiate Chapter with the Highest GPA among the 96 Chapters of the historic Eastern Region and named Collegiate Scholars Bowl Champions to represent the Eastern Region in July at the 98th General Convention in Philadelphia, PA. Recap here.
On May 8, 2025, The Johns Hopkins University Office of Leadership Engagement & Experiential Development hosted its annual Leadership Awards, honoring Hopkins students, staff, and organizations for their contributions to the university and local community. The Sigma Sigma Chapter was awarded the Homewood Award from the Student Government Association for being the student organization with “the greatest positive impact on campus” and Excellence in Community Service from the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life. Bro. Obianwu was awarded Organization President of Year by the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Life and the prestigious Christopher J. Pinto Award by the Office of the Dean of Student Life for “demonstrating academic achievement, leadership, and strong moral character” as a graduating senior.