Celebrating Scholarship Donors

On Thursday, October 22, more than 300 donors and students attended Meredith’s Annual Scholarship Dinner at Embassy Suites in Cary, NC. The dinner focuses on pairing students with their donors to give them time to learn more about each other, with Meredith students taking the opportunity to thank donors for their scholarship.

President Jo Allen began the program by describing the excitement of dreaming, hoping, and working hard to accomplish goals.

“For our students in this room, one of their dreams is a degree from Meredith College.” said Allen. “Surveys show us that they have a great experience while they are here and our donors enable that to happen for many of them. Tonight, we celebrate and thank you for giving another woman something she thought she would never have ─ a Meredith College education.”

Jennifer Coples and Kristen Rivera spoke to the attendees about their experiences as Meredith students. Coples, a senior double majoring in business administration and fashion merchandising from Kinston, N.C., recognized the people in her life who have helped her become the person she is today. Her support system includes her scholarship donor, Porter Byrum.

By establishing the Isa Ward Byrum scholarship, “Mr. Byrum has shown compassion towards students who want to pursue higher education at Meredith, and because of that I am very grateful to him for his contribution,” said Coples.

Rivera, a senior majoring in mass communication, spoke about how StrengthsFinder, a component of donor-supported StrongPoints®, had helped her during her time at Meredith. In addition, her internship this past summer showed her that no matter what her strengths are, they are all valuable assets in life. She was pleased to report that she left that internship with a job offer.

“It is through the support of our donors that the opportunity to exercise those strengths and to gain those job placements are possible,” said Rivera. “Thank you, all of you, for providing this opportunity, and for instilling in all of us the gift of giving, of paying it forward, so that the women who follow in our paths may be just as strong as we are.”

—Submitted by Emily Parker, Campaign Communications Manager