The 15th Annual Scholarship Luncheon was a heartwarming affair for J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College’s scholarship recipients and generous benefactors and friends who attended the event on Thursday, October 18th.
With 190 guests in attendance, it was the perfect opportunity for donors and student recipients to meet each other, many for the first time. Spirits were high and smiling faces lit up the room.
Speakers included Andrew Gibb, benefactor of the Gibb Family Scholarship. The scholarship, established in the memory of his mother, provides assistance to active or honorably discharged military members. Mr. Gibb spoke of his fearless mother and relayed the frightening story about how her life was saved in 1979 by U.S. Marines when the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan was attacked and set on fire while she and other Embassy staff members were locked in a vault inside the building.
Two scholarship recipients were also given the opportunity to speak. Charlie McDonough, a 2011 Valley Proteins Fellow, started his relationship with JSRCC in 1994, returned in 2003 to pursue becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse and most recently completed his RN last December. He noted it was the inspiring teachers that kept bringing him back to Reynolds. His advice to current students was not to chase a paycheck, but rather chase their dreams.
Sierra White, recipient of the Reynolds Family Scholarships in memory of J. Sargeant Reynolds told the audience that without her scholarship she would not be able to attend school. Although she had always dreamed of attending a 4 year university far from home, she now realizes that her friends who followed that path have not had the variety and depth of experiences that Sierra has enjoyed at Reynolds. She said her scholarship gave her hope, a push towards the future that says, “You can do it.”
The luncheon was a great opportunity to thank JSRCC’s donors for their shared vision and support of our students, giving them the opportunity to reach their potential and achieve their dreams.
For more information about available scholarships, how to apply and important deadlines, visit www.reynolds.edu/scholarship.
