NORFOLK, Va. — Loved ones of a wrong-way crash victim have created a scholarship in her memory.
Shelby "Lexus" Walker was killed instantly in a crash in the Downtown Tunnel on Dec. 30, 2023.
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Virginia State Police say Dominique Goodwin was driving east in the westbound lanes of the Downtown Tunnel when she crashed head-on into Walker, killing her instantly.
Tarena Williams, a loved one of Walker, says she lost a friend, and the LGBT community lost a bright light.
Since her death, a scholarship has been created in her name through the Southeastern Transgender Resource Center in Norfolk: The Shelby "Lexus" Walker Scholarship.
Williams says her friend was an advocate for education and wanted to use it to help others.
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"She had gotten her PCA certificate and I know she wanted to go further into doing that," said Williams. "She was a caregiver and she took care of her grandmother and her mom and she took care of people in the community,"
This scholarship will continue Walker's work and help transgender individuals who are currently enrolled in a school or want to further their education.
Williams says funds have come from donations and fundraising in the community, and she's getting closer to meeting her goal for it.
"My goal is to get $10,000 for the scholarship, and the way that it's going, we are going to achieve that goal," said Williams.
The recipient of the scholarship will have to volunteer 50 hours of community service and do outreach events in their community. The deadline for the scholarship is May 1, 2024.
Williams says her best friend might be gone, but her legacy will live on.
STRC will honor "Lex" Walker at this year's Transgender Day of Visibility, which will take place on Friday, March 29.
To donate to the Shelby "Lexus" Scholarship, you can email Tarena Williams at TWilliams@Southeasterntranscenter.org.
