The power of a name: how scholarships leave a lasting legacy
If you are fortunate enough to remember who inspired your educational journey, imagine what it would mean to be that person for someone else.
During my first week at CWRU, the head of financial aid gave me a piece of advice I’ve never forgotten. She asked me to share with our alumni and friends the impact of providing scholarship support in their own names. Her reasoning was as simple as it was profound: throughout her 40+ year tenure, she saw firsthand that when someone receives a named scholarship, they simply never forget the people who made their education possible through scholarships. That feeling of support, of care, and of gratitude stays with them throughout their academic career, and often long after.
Whether our students receive a thoughtfully structured term scholarship or are the next generation to receive support from a permanent endowment, the students who cross this stage this May will no doubt remember who made their journeys possible. And as I think of these new alumni, I cannot help but remember that early advice I received during my very first week, yet years later, here I am still sharing it — because she was absolutely right.
Our Office of Strategic Giving and our development teams have so many ways to thoughtfully structure a gift, it would be an honor to help our alumni and friends inspire the next generation of students in a way that both benefits and inspires.
Just think: whose life might you change simply by attaching your name to their dream? - Amanda Pinney
