Senior Harmony Peura ’24 still can’t believe that she earned the Mary Janes Ahern ’46 Washington Scholarship, giving her a full ride to the University of Mary Washington.
“I’ve woken up every day for the past four years in complete disbelief,” said Peura, a computer science major from Virginia Beach. She expressed her gratitude for receiving the prestigious UMW award for in-state students, which provides full tuition, fees, and room and board for up to four years.
“Mary Washington is a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” she advised her fellow scholars. “Take this time and cherish it and do as much as you possibly can with it.”
Peura and more than a dozen other exceptional UMW students attended a reception for Washington and Alvey Scholars (a full-ride award for out-of-state residents), held at the Jepson Alumni Executive Center’s Kalnen Inn at the end of September. Eighteen recipients currently benefit from these scholarships, including five first-year students, who were welcomed into the ranks by their fellow scholars, UMW staff and members of the Alumni Association Board of Directors (AABOD), which established the first five scholarships more than 25 years ago. A total of 65 students have been awarded Washington and Alvey Scholarships since the program’s inception.
“This gathering is not only about building a connection between you all as recipients but also as soon-to-be alumni in a community that will treasure you for many years to come,” Assistant Director of Stewardship and Donor Relations Desmond Davis ’21 told the scholars.
Washington and Alvey Scholarships are renewable for four years of undergraduate studies with GPA and residential requirements. Recipients are accepted into UMW’s Honors Program and have access to funding for experiential learning opportunities such as study abroad and undergraduate research.
The senior class includes six scholars who were asked to share advice with the incoming first-year recipients. “You are going to make a lot of friends outside of your freshman dorm who are going to help you through stressful times,” said Sofia Taylor ’24, a psychology major and neuroscience and music minor who received an Alvey Scholarship. “Branch out and try new things outside of your comfort zone.”
Read more and see pictures from the event at Giving.UMW.edu.
Absolutely inspiring
thanks for sharing