By Chelsea Williams | Echo
The seniors of 2014 have decided to give a gift that is sure to keep on giving. To follow in the footsteps of those before them, they plan to give a scholarship to a freshman entering Taylor in the fall.
Money used for the senior gift will come from the seniors, followed by a donor selected by the alumni office, who will match the amount of every dollar given.
The senior class scholarship will go to an incoming freshman based on financial needs and interviews within the admissions office, but the exact qualifications are unclear at this point. Discussions on who the recipient of this scholarship will be are ongoing, according to Senior Class Vice President Lauren Harvey
"This is a chance for the seniors of 2014 to leave their legacy in helping an incoming student experience the wonderful opportunities here at Taylor, not only academically, but also socially and spiritually," said Senior Class Secretary Claire Romanowski.
The idea for the scholarship came from "The Seaman Challenge," where donors would give a dollar to every senior during the graduation rehearsal, and then the seniors would return the dollar at their graduation as a sign of giving back to the university. This was an ongoing tradition for years in honor of the professor who came up with the idea, Richard Seaman, a distinguished professor who passed away in 1998."It was really meaningful for a lot of people who knew him to be able to do that as kind of his legacy," Harvey said.
As the years passed, fewer people remembered Seaman, and students were less familiar with his legacy. As a result, the senior Inter-Class Council of 2013 partnered with the Taylor Fund to brainstorm the idea of starting a new, meaningful scholarship as a class gift."It (the scholarship) decided just to become the tradition, we are keeping it going, and I think it will be the standing senior gift for a while," Harvey said.
Jason Koh, senior class president, hopes the scholarship is a way for the seniors to pass on the positive Taylor experience.
"If you've had a good experience at Taylor-if you feel like this institution has done something for your life and you would be interested in helping a freshman experience that same thing you've gone through four years, then we would like you to give out of what you can," Koh said. "It can be anything or as much as you want."Plans for establishing the continuation of the scholarship have been talked about in the senior Inter-Class Council since last year, according to Senior Class Treasurer Justin Rauh.
"The idea was (that) we would select a freshman and fundraise for that freshman, maybe just to purchase all their books for freshman year," Harvey said.
The idea for the scholarship is that seniors would promote the idea of taking a freshman under their wing and help them have the Taylor experience. Koh suggests if every senior could give just one dollar, they could pay for the student's freshman year textbooks.There is no minimum or maximum for giving.
Harvey also stresses that ICC wants to make the senior gift as interactive as possible.
"So if people have suggestions or want to vote on it, we just want people to be excited about it," Harvey said.
More information on the senior class scholarship and how to donate can be found on the Taylor Fund website.
