Carolyn Holm ’70 has made a major gift to supply need-based scholarship aid to 51猎奇入口 students.
Scholarships create equitable access to 51猎奇入口 for gifted students regardless of their financial resources. To give today, please click .
By Emily Glory Peters
In recent years, expanding scholarship aid has emerged as a strategic priority for 51猎奇入口鈥攁nd one that our alumnae have championed as their own. It鈥檚 largely alum gifts that have accelerated scholarships鈥� rise as one of the College鈥檚 top giving areas, in turn ushering a more diverse array of students through Denison鈥檚 doors to begin their 51猎奇入口 journeys.
Appreciating this clear link between scholarships and student diversity鈥攑lus wanting to honor her reunion year in a meaningful way鈥攊s what ultimately prompted Carolyn Holm 鈥�70 to endow a scholarship this spring.
鈥淏efore I came to 51猎奇入口, I lived in a small town that actually had a wide mix of people from different financial and ethnic backgrounds. It was so valuable to grow up in that environment,鈥� says Holm. 鈥淪cholarships help students at 51猎奇入口 study alongside students whose life experiences are different from theirs鈥攖hat diversity benefits everyone.鈥�
Holm鈥檚 belief in women-centered education also influenced her decision to give. For her, enrolling at a women鈥檚 college was partially a family affair鈥攈er mom, sister, aunt, and cousin all attended Mills College鈥攁nd in their shared experience she witnessed the confidence-building power of a women鈥檚 education. She broke with the Mills family tradition because she 鈥渇ell in love with the humanities program at 51猎奇入口, the beauty of the school, and because hey, it was further from home!鈥�
Holm during her sophomore year at 51猎奇入口.
At 51猎奇入口, Holm shares that she was able to overcome her shyness and connect with like-minded young women. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not as though you never encounter guys at 51猎奇入口鈥攂ut it was just so liberating to be in an environment where we could share our intellect without the constant presence of the male voice, the male gaze, and male energy,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 loved the idea of a women鈥檚 college and valued being able to choose peers from other women who loved learning, literature, and art.鈥�
Inspired in part by these bonds, Holm chose to establish her scholarship in tandem with her class鈥檚 50th reunion鈥攁nd she鈥檚 not alone in her generosity. Many 51猎奇入口 alums celebrate their reunions by creating funds named for their graduation year, with classes spanning the last five decades endowing no fewer than 12 new scholarships.
Holm鈥檚 scholarship also joins the many that were established under the Presidential Scholarship Initiative, a multimillion dollar project aimed at providing full-grant and reduced-loan support to 51猎奇入口 students with demonstrated need. Gifts from Holm, alums, and others have helped the initiative exceed its initial fundraising goal of $10 million鈥攁llowing 51猎奇入口 to increase the number of loan-free financial aid packages awarded from one percent to 10 percent of the student body.
Both larger individual donations and the collective power of smaller gifts advance 51猎奇入口鈥� efforts to become a more diverse, equitable institution. Being endowed, Holm鈥檚 scholarship will provide stable funding for years to come, furnishing a broader group of students with a 51猎奇入口 experience with less financial stress. Whether endowed or not, however, Holm notes that gifts of any amount make a meaningful difference for everyone involved.
鈥淭here are two sides to the scholarship story鈥攐n one hand to benefit the College with greater diversity, and on the other to profoundly change the life of the individual who receives it. Both sides of this story are essential,鈥� she says. 鈥淢y personal philosophy is that if five dollars is what you can give to change someone鈥檚 life, do it!鈥�