When I came to visit Marquette during my senior year of high school, I really felt like it was home for me. I didn’t get that feeling at any of the other colleges I visited. Now as a student here, I know I wouldn’t be the same person if I had gone to college anywhere else. At Marquette, ideas of faith and the Marquette mission are ingrained in the curriculum. It feels like my faith and my academic experience are intertwined. Classes are engaging, and professors are approachable and friendly. I also appreciate the diversity and openness that Marquette promotes. This is the place that I am meant to be.

In the past three years, obtaining the financial support that I’ve needed to continue to attend Marquette has been a challenge. My dad has been out of work, and as hard as I’ve tried to juggle jobs and school, it still wasn’t enough. Every year, I’ve written a letter to the College of Arts and Sciences asking if there was any additional scholarship money available. They were able to help me in my freshman and sophomore years. But this year, there simply was no money for them to share with me. I had no idea how I would pay for school. I submitted a letter to the Office of Financial Aid, hoping and praying that something would work out.

Two hours later, I received an e-mail telling me that I had funding. I looked at that e-mail with pure disbelief, and when I called my parents, I’ll never forget how my mom screamed in the phone. I don’t know how I would have stayed at Marquette without generous donor support.

Writing the letters to ask for extra support really made me realize the value of money. I’ve always worked hard and earned good grades, so I always assumed that I would go to college. It wasn’t until last year that I realized that my education is a gift — it was never a guarantee. I know that I have been challenged to be who I am meant to be in life and that I will carry on the Marquette identity once I graduate. For this, I am absolutely grateful.

Born and raised in the city of Milwaukee and as a graduate with honors from Messmer High School, I was well aware of the quality education at Marquette.  And when the time came to choose a school, in addition to considering those with a quality curriculum, I looked at institutions that also provided students with significant scholarship support.  That was critical in my selection of Marquette, where I was named an Urban Scholar, which is awarded each year to outstanding students who excel academically and demonstrate leadership in the community.  I received this award as a proud member of the Mary Ryan Boys & Girls Club.  Receiving a scholarship to attend Marquette was vital and has allowed me to be a part of the Marquette tradition.

Throughout my three years at Marquette and the College of Engineering, I’ve had tremendous opportunities. Receiving an internship my freshman year at C.G. Schmidt and Marquette’s access to opportunities like these has set me apart from my counterparts at other schools. 

Serving as president of the best student organization on campus, the Marquette Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers, has helped me build my teamwork and leadership skills. It is the sum of each individual experience that makes my Marquette education what it is today, and most importantly, it makes me who I am.

Following graduation, I plan to attend graduate school and then work then in the private sector, potentially in nanotechnology or rehabilitation robotics. 

Looking back, I’m grateful to receive scholarship support to be given the opportunity to attend Marquette, especially the College of Engineering.  And I’m grateful to know that once I graduate I will not be burdened with significant debt, something that I know not all students can say.  I’m in a very fortunate position and grateful to benefactors who help to make my Marquette education and experience possible.  And, when I have children, I can look forward to sending them to Marquette as legacies where I know they will benefit from the same quality education I am receiving today.

Scholarship aid was a critical factor in my choosing an undergraduate university. Although I set my sights on attending a Catholic university in the Midwest, I knew that my family could not afford to send me to a private four-year college. However, cost would not deter me from my goal and I knew that some extra effort could yield the alternative funding necessary for me to make my college dreams a reality. I was fortunate to receive help from external scholarship sources, but the majority of my aid came from Marquette’s Educational Opportunity Program, or EOP. Not only did EOP assist me financially, but the program helped me develop the necessary skills to succeed at the undergraduate level through an intense summer program before beginning my freshman year.

Scholarship support has meant that I have been granted the opportunity to succeed. Without it, I would not have been able to complete almost four years at an undergraduate institution. It has allowed me to be on track to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in May, a first for my family. Scholarships have been essential in the achievement of my goals, including acceptance into the Applied Investment Management program and attaining executive positions within student organizations. Scholarship can be defined as more than just aid granted to students, but also the character, qualities, activities, and attainments of a learned person. Scholarship aid has allowed me to have the experiences and education a person needs in order to be prepared to handle the challenges of an evolving world.

Scholarship support also means solidarity. Donors have opened doors for me as I hope to be able to do for others in the future. In the near term, I hope to be able to help my younger sister, Maritza, as she begins her college journey at Marquette. In the future, the scholarship support I received will allow me to improve my family’s financial situation, as well as open doors for others who may need scholarships. It is clear to me that scholarship aid is necessary for creating a brighter future for all.

Marquette is built on giving — giving to one another and to the community at large. Give Marquette is an extension of our philosophy on what we believe in stewardship. We strive to be leaders in this scholarship program. Through generous, selfless acts of kindness, we are able to support scholarships to students who need our help the most.  Providing is the virtue; the kind reward is the enablement of a Marquette education.

Across the Division of Student Affairs, we are blessed to work with many of Marquette’s best and brightest student leaders:  from the RA staff, to MUSG, to those participating in club sports and intramurals, as well as those serving on orientation staff, or volunteering in the greater Milwaukee community. In addition to making it possible for some students to attend Marquette in the first place, scholarship aid also provides many students with the freedom to get involved outside the classroom. I have worked with many students who, because they are the recipients of scholarship aid, have not had to work as many hours in a campus job and have instead used that time to give back to the community.

A great example is several of the students who have worked with Hunger Clean Up and other service projects. Many of the scholarship recipients who have planned these activities have said they feel compelled to do “behind the scenes” work in order to make it easier for students who have to work multiple jobs to get involved. This idea of “paying it forward” comes naturally to many Marquette students—they are very grateful for the scholarship aid they receive and show it through their involvements outside the classroom. It also seems that this sense of gratitude helps students in their development of empathy—an extra bonus!

Students represent the lifeblood of any great university, and Marquette is no exception. They are our essential reason for being.

Unfortunately, in these challenging economic times, many of our remarkable MU students face the prospect of delaying or terminating their education here. Sad to say, they simply don’t have the resources to continue. That’s why I think scholarship aid isn’t merely important nowadays at Marquette; it’s absolutely VITAL.

As an academic dean, I’m seeing this tragedy play out almost daily. More and more of our students tell their advisors that they just can’t make their finances work. Their emotions go well beyond disappointment. They love Marquette and the education they’re receiving here, and the harsh reality of parting with their dreams and aspirations devastates them and their families.

I’m extremely proud to report that the university has gone to extraordinary lengths to sustain these students. But the need now outstrips what we can hope to provide by a notable margin. As a result, their future now hangs tenuously in the balance.

That’s the main reason I give as abundantly as I can to support student scholarships. I think about the contributions that these promising young leaders will make to the world with a little sacrificing on my part, and the decision becomes easy. It’s even more compelling when I reflect with great grief on all the ways that society will be diminished if these talented, passionate students don’t achieve their promise.

The other major motivation for me to give is that I’ve been the beneficiary of significant scholarship support myself. And, although it will sound like a cliché, I would definitely not be where I am today without it. My family’s financial situation would NEVER have permitted me to go to college. But thanks to many wonderful donors I enjoyed full tuition and other critical support not only as an undergraduate student athlete, but also as a Master’s degree student, and then again, as a doctoral fellow.

May God bless all of the caring and benevolent people who helped me. As I see it, the least I can do is to pay the debt forward, and I do so willingly and joyfully.

To sum up, I would say to anyone compassionate and forward thinking enough to consider donating to scholarship aid – PLEASE JUST DO IT! Yours will be a gift that keeps on giving, perhaps for all eternity.