Scholarship Luncheon
Murphy Garcia's time at St. Ambrose is tied to the legacy she wants to create; to the never-ending drive to learn and explore instilled by her parents; and to generous donors, who through endowed scholarships, have made her Ambrosian education possible.
Garcia was the featured student speaker April 17 during the ninth annual Scholarship Luncheon, where she and more than 100 other students got to meet, and thank, the donors who are allowing them to achieve their educational goals.
Garcia is a recipient of the Baecke-DeJonghe Scholarship and the Freeman Pollard Minority Scholarship. Those are two of 114 endowed scholarships at SAU, a number that has more than doubled under the leadership of Sister Joan Lescinski, CSJ, PhD, the president of St. Ambrose University.
"From 1927 to 2007, there were 41 endowed scholarships established at SAU. Since 2007, when Sr. Joan arrived, we have added 56 that are fully funded or are in the process of being funded, as well as 17 planned with donors who have included SAU in future estate commitments," said Sally Crino, Associate Vice President for Advancement.
"This really speaks to the strength of our legacy giving program in Advancement, and how our office works with donors to help create their own personal legacy through an endowed gift or an estate gift," she added.
Jim Stangle, Vice President for Advancement, said more than 95 percent of SAU students receive tuition assistance. "This support is truly making a difference in the lives of those seeking an education rooted in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition," he said.
Garcia, a third-year student, is majoring in book arts and Spanish. Her father grew up in a rural area of Mexico, and the two hours it took to travel to school made it impossible to continue his education past grade school. He came to the U.S. to work when he was 18, and while he took some community college classes, he missed out on a full school experience, Garcia said.
Her mother is an art teacher, and while her parents came from different educational backgrounds, they shared and stressed the same message with Garcia and her older brother: "Education is really important, and my dad was always pushing us to learn and try new things," Garcia said.
"Every night, I would wait for my dad to come home from work so I could talk about my homework with him. He was such an education-first kind of guy," she said.
About four years ago, her father passed away from cancer, and she wanted to honor his belief in education. "That became my biggest push to become the first Garcia in my family to graduate college," she said.
Garcia said the two endowed scholarships, combined with working as a Resident Advisor and off-campus during the summers, allows her attend SAU and have the full Ambrosian experience.
Garcia participates in Art Club, Art History Club, the dance company, and in the past, was a member of the Multicultural Club, LULAC, and served as a peer campus minister. Next spring, she will study abroad in Spain.
At SAU, she's been able to follow her passion and discover who she is thanks to the large number of student organizations and clubs, campus events, and the support she's received from faculty, friends and her mother.
Rev. Thomas Hennen spoke about the impact the scholarships have when he thanked the many donors who make an Ambrosian liberal arts education possible for so many students.
Fr. Hennen said his parents helped pay for his Ambrosian education, however, he did everything he could to lighten the burden: he got a partial academic scholarship, applied for local scholarships, was a resident advisor his sophomore and junior years, was a work-study in the History Department, worked security and in the campus coffee shop.
That was 20 years ago, and since then, the cost of higher education has grown and prospective students are facing tough choices.
"That is why it is so vitally important that we do all that we can do to keep a four-year education here at St. Ambrose as affordable and accessible to as diverse a group of students as possible," Fr. Hennen said.
"I think our students would say that they are here, as opposed to somewhere else because this is truly the right place for them. This is the place where they can receive the best education in the best environment to help them succeed not only in a future career track but in life," he added.
The impact of these scholarships goes far beyond the walls of St. Ambrose, Fr. Hennen said. "The students you help support become proud alumni, active citizens, parents, employees and managers, truly world changers in a variety of fields and within their own particular, but interconnected spheres."
"I think our students would say that they are here, as opposed to somewhere else, because this is truly the right place for them. This is the place where they can receive the best education in the best environment to help them succeed not only in a future career track, but in life."
Fr. Thomas Hennen
Click here to learn more about legacy giving.
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