Yvette Mendoza and David Pittman are a match made at 蹤獲扦.
Mendoza is the administrative assistant in the Kent Student Center. She met Pittman through student organizations, and the two got married on campus in September.
We dont really need anything, Mendoza said. At that point we decided to do a scholarship.
Instead of wedding gifts, the couple asked for donations for the they are starting for students who complete 蹤獲扦s Pre-College TRIO Upward Bound Programs, which seek to increase educational opportunities and diminish barriers for first-generation, low-income students and families.
As a GED Scholar, and now masters student at 蹤獲扦, Mendoza knows first-hand the importance of scholarship money.
We talk all the time about the rising cost of an education, so lets start doing something about it, Mendoza said.
Mendoza is a shining example of the many ways 蹤獲扦 puts students first.
Gracious donors help with a variety of other scholarships and the building of high-tech facilities around campus. Through Flashanthropy, hardworking students raise donations for the . And the Annual Fund encourages alumni, faculty, staff and others to donate.
Mendoza and her husband have raised more than $3000, with the goal of reaching $25,000 through donations and upcoming fundraisers.
Her passion for giving makes you want to give, said student donor Keri Richmond. Its contagious and our office has that energy in it - help one another out, help the school out, help the students out. This is just another great way to make sure that happens.
Im pretty much on scholarship here, and if it wasnt for that I would not be at 蹤獲扦 right now, said student donor Laura Lithgow. So the fact that shes fundraising so that other students can be here based on scholarship, thats just great.
Mendoza encourages everyone to make a difference in the lives of students through a donation, no matter how big or small it might be.
It could go toward someone else having the opportunity that maybe they never had before, she said.
