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This issue of Smith Business reminds us once again of the
extraordinary generosity of our alumni and friends. The honor roll in
the preceding pages highlights many of the donors whose gifts have
enabled the Smith School to make great strides in its march toward
greatness. I see the products of these gifts in a variety of ways, from
the construction of Van Munching Hall’s new North Wing to photographs of
students traveling the world as part of the new Smith Undergraduate
Fellows Program.
Your donations - far too many to list here - are indeed making a real
impact on people’s lives. Just ask Josefina Pena. Last spring, Josefina
suffered serious injuries, including two broken legs, when she was
struck by a car in a hit-and-run accident. She was hospitalized for a
month and forced to withdraw from school while she struggled physically,
emotionally and financially. Faced with high medical bills and initial
rejection for financial assistance, Josefina worried she would not
complete her education. But last fall, we were able to award Josefina
the James Edward Miller Chapman Educational Foundation Scholarship and
happily she is back with us, working hard toward her degree.
In the last honor roll we highlighted a $2 million gift from Chevy
Chase Bank. The gift was earmarked for scholarships and internships and
today it is helping students such as Jinsoo Lee pursue their dreams.
Although his mother works six days a week to support Jinsoo and his
brother, money is tight. But thanks to a Chevy Chase Scholarship, Jinsoo
was able to enter the Smith School last fall to earn an accounting
degree. He’s motivated not only by his desire to become an auditor for
one of the big four accounting firms, but also by the desire make a
better life for his mother. Then there is Ana Gonzalez, an immigrant
from El Salvador, whose father never made it past the second grade and
whose mother never attended school. With nine children, the family
struggled financially and higher education for Ana seemed out of reach.
But hard work, good grades and a Chevy Chase Scholarship led Ana to
Smith, where she’s majoring in accounting with the hope of one day
opening her own business. Not only has this scholarship helped Ana
financially, she tells us it has also given her the strength and
confidence to be all that she can be.
Your gifts help the best and brightest students—Josefina, Jinsoo,
Ana, and many others—obtain the financial aid they need to reach for the
stars. And your gifts enable the Smith School to provide these students
with the very best business education by funding the recruitment and
retention of world-class faculty, innovative academic programming, and
an advanced learning environment. I thank our students for sharing their
stories and thank you for helping us make a difference in their lives.
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