Seniors for Students 2020

During our time here, OU is home for each of us. Today, you can help students who need a little help to feel at home by giving to the Student Emergency Assistance Fund. This fund helps OU students who are at risk of dropping out because of financial hardship. It’s a safety net to help with food, books, and living expenses, so students can stay focused on classes and staying in school (and making it to graduation).

Please watch the video for stories to hear how this fund has helped us and others we know. Everyone needs occasional help to get to where we’re going and it’s tough sometimes to share our real needs, especially if they are financial. Join with us today by making a gift to the Senior Class Gift Campaign in support of the Student Emergency Assistance Fund.

Read a few stories about OU students who have benefited from this fund:

• One of our recipients is a senior from Atlanta, GA studying Studio Art.  She was on track to graduate earlier this year, but had to drop out of her classes to attend to some family matters.  In lining things up to return this spring and complete her degree, she found herself having to satisfy her bill with no support after years of receiving support from her parents.  She was able to mostly secure the funds needed to finish her degree, but found herself short.  The Emergency Assistance Grant helped cover some of her remaining gap, and she’s now on track to graduate in May with Latin Honors.

• One of our recipients is a senior, coming to Oglethorpe all the way from Nepal.  After two years at Oglethorpe, this student’s family experienced some financial changes, making it difficult to continue to afford an Oglethorpe education.  The family exhausted all means to help the student through three years, leaving the student with few options to afford her senior year.  With a plan that included help from the Emergency Assistance Grant, this student is on track to finish in May with Latin Honors.

• One of our recipients is a DACA student from Lawrenceville, GA.  With the help of a cosigner, he’d been able to take out private loans to fund his first three years at Oglethorpe.  But after three strong years as a Physics major, his cosigner was unable to assist with anymore debt.  This student’s family does not have the means to contribute to his tuition, leaving him in peril of stopping his education one semester short.  With a plan that included help from the Emergency Assistance Grant, this student is enrolled for spring, on track to finish in May with Latin Honors.  I believe this student has also recently been admitted to graduate school. 

It would be great if each senior could give $20.20 to honor our graduating year and leave a legacy by participating in this amazing Oglethorpe tradition of helping current and future students. We’re looking for 100% participation by May 6, 2020. But even if $20.20 is something you can’t manage right now, give what you can (there's NO MINIMUM GIFT AMOUNT). We value participation over than the amount so give any amount that works for you. Please make sure to identify your class year (2020) when you make your gift – that will help us keep track of progress to the goal, even if you choose not to display your name on the donor wall (you can choose to remain anonymous). Then click to share on social media to get the word out about the campaign, so all of our classmates make a senior class gift. 

**If you want to support us, but aren't part of the OU Senior Class of 2020, please click on the “Matching Gift” option and make your donation there. We are grateful! Thank you! 

If you have any questions or need help making your gift, please reach out to me or any of the Advocates for this Campaign:  Syeda Bano, Autumn Johnson, Jordan Madison, Cameron McDougal, and Margaret Light. If you wish, you can also add your story by creating a plea video on your smartphone and uploading to this campaign page.

When we all pitch in to help one another, we can make sure each of us stays enrolled and on a path to success. THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THE CLASS OF 2020 SENIOR CLASS GIFT!

-McKenzie Simpson, Senior Class President