We see it again and again: when committed, caring people get together, extraordinary things happen.

In April, the UVM Foundation celebrated the donors who support students' learning and their lives in a gala Burlington event.

Ever since, we have been reflecting on what we learned and how much it means to have donors who make these significant and long-term commitments to UVM students and programs. Here are just a few of the highlights.

1. In very real terms, scholarships mean that students can simply be at UVM 

As Cooper Bullock '27 told us, "If the donor was here, I would want them to know how thankful I am for everything they've provided and for the opportunity to be at UVM in Burlington."

2. Generosity can express a spirit of adventure.

Catherine Suiter told us about the scholarship she established in her husband's memory, "It's called the Suiter Travel Award, and when my husband died in 1990, there were people who were very generous. In lieu of flowers, we started this fund … We knew how important it was for kids to get out of dodge, so we started this to let students travel to a conference in their area … When I sit with them, I want to know what they're doing. What I would tell them is to get out, go to a conference, travel. There's so much outside of Burlington, outside of Vermont. Get out and travel."

3. Students honor the legacies of donors' families.

Elizabeth Carstensen '24 reflected on the significance of the connection as she moves towards graduate studies in nutrition education, "I know that my scholarship is donated by the Holzer family because her brother unfortunately passed away during his studies at UVM, and so being able to pursue my degree after he's passed is really, really powerful to know."

4. Kindness and generosity inspire more of the same.

Frank Bolden '63 HON'18 talked about his mother as a motivation for his scholarship support. "My mother worked three jobs so that I could go to school. What a sacrifice that was, and what great results. And I thought that maybe how I could best honor her is to help other students, so it was an easy move for me to try to help other students through the field of scholarships" Sam Bjorklun '24 thinks about her parents too and shared, "Honestly, getting this scholarship has really helped me because I'm also the child of working class parents … being able to get this  scholarship has really helped me go to UVM without being any more of a financial burden on my parents. And then I'll be hopefully getting to a spot where I can return the favor to my parents.

5. And connection and generosity inspire others, even when we might not know they're watching.

As Sara Bolden '27 told her grandfather Frank, "To see that Vermont was so influential in your life, and UVM was such an important part of your life that you still want to give back was a huge indicator that it was the kind of place that I want to be in.

6. Donations help students now, and they open up recipients' future possibilities.

Isabella Chiulli '25 shared, "I think my scholarship has made it more possible to consider going to graduate school. I studied biomedical engineering here, so a master's is kind of an idea coming in … the scholarship helps me keep it on the table as an option.

7. Individual UVM donors help work on large societal challenges.

Ray Roberts '73 talked about the impact he and his family wanted to have, and how it started at an event like this one. "We came to one of these dinners, and it turned out to be a magical experience and we fell in love with the student and the whole idea and we have continued on ever since … My wife's a software engineer (retired now), and I have two daughters. At the time when we were starting this out, women in technology weren't really well represented. So we decided then that was something that we wanted to do - to pay it forward."

8. Getting a scholarship doesn't have to mean playing it safe all the time.

Roger Crandall '87 hopes to inspire courage and growth. He offered, "getting a scholarship gives you capacity to take risks, and that means you should be able to explore academically what you want to explore, and you should be able to pursue it in ways that may not fit within the regular bounds. We move forward by people taking risks and trying new things, and as a donor, I would hope scholarship recipients understand that and embrace it, and they go on and do things that are going to help not just themselves and their families, but their communities."

9. Support means students can focus on being students!

Tea van Linde '25 hopes that donors to the scholarship that supports her "know how grateful I am that they are making this opportunity available for people who don't have the resources to necessarily go to the schools that they'd most long to go to. I'm really grateful that they have given me the opportunity to study without worry, and enjoy my time here at UVM.

Supporting Scholarships at UVM

You can learn more about supporting student scholarships by going here. Or reach out to Kevin Morgenstein Fuerst at kmorgens@uvm.edu or 802.656.3227 to talk about the difference you're hoping to make.