The Campaign's Top Priority
Campaign Pillar: Scholarships
Three Tommies show how scholarship support eases financial pressure, nurtures potential and carries impact into communities - and how an eligible campaign commitment can go twice as far.
The Campaign's Top Priority
Three Tommies show how scholarship support eases financial pressure, nurtures potential and carries impact into communities - and how an eligible campaign commitment can go twice as far.
A scholarship for St. Thomas does more than help cover a student’s tuition. It gives a student the freedom to devote more of themselves to learning, relationships and the experiences that shape who they become.
For Rose Say ’24, scholarship support made a specific goal possible. After earning her associate degree through Dougherty Family College, she received a full-tuition DFC Excellence Scholarship to continue at St. Thomas. “Receiving this scholarship means I don’t have to worry and can pursue my goal of becoming an elementary teacher,” Say said. She is now doing exactly that at the Collaborative School at Maxfield Elementary. Her scholarship ripples outward to the students and families she serves as an undergraduate student.
Hser Htoo ’26 once saw college itself as unlikely. In high school, he planned to become a firefighter and did not expect to pursue a degree. The Dease Scholarship brought him to St. Thomas, where he studied electrical engineering, with minors in physics and theology. He also became a mentor to younger students. “It’s life-changing,” Htoo said. “It has brought me new opportunities, and I got to see my potential.”
For Nebraska native Rachael Binstock ’23, the GHR Fellows Program made St. Thomas possible. “It was a kind of moonshot for me as I was not able to afford college in the first place,” she said. With the scholarship, the GHR Fellowship gave her individualized career coaching, networking with business leaders and a fully funded J-Term experience in Ghana. Those opportunities prepared Binstock for life after graduation while broadening her understanding of the world and her place in it.
The pattern is clear: Scholarship support gives talent and purpose more room to grow. It reduces financial strain, but its impact continues outward as students mentor others, strengthen communities and prepare for careers centered on the common good. Reflecting on her family’s scholarship support to St. Thomas students, Lisa Anderson ’83 MA described St. Thomas as a place of hope and joy, adding, “We can always use more of that.”
Scholarships are Priority One in Be Brilliant. Be Bold. The Campaign for St. Thomas. In the campaign, alumni and friends are invited to help more students build futures of purpose.
During the campaign, St. Thomas will match every eligible $50,000 commitment for merit scholarship support with an additional $50,000. A commitment may be given outright or pledged over four years. Together, the commitment and university match will support one student with at least $25,000 each year for four years. The match also applies to multiples of $50,000 and is designed to support high-achieving students, especially those from middle- and lower-income families.
All levels of scholarship support matter: Gifts of $25, $100 or $1,000 are bundled with those of other donors to build a meaningful scholarship for a student. If you are able to consider a larger scholarship gift, learn how you can double its impact.