School Spirit and Donor Impact Take Center Stage at UMW’s Celebration of Giving

Olivia-Lena De Veaux, a senior worldwide affairs and Spanish main on the University of Mary Washington, has embraced research overseas in faculty, spending a semester in Mexico and occurring a faculty-led journey to Guatemala over spring break.

“It’s been exhilarating to expand my horizons in ways I couldn’t have imagined four years ago,” stated De Veaux, who earned the Gail Madden Shedlick ’78 Scholarship, which helped fund her summer time internship working at a resort in Prague. “It was my first experience navigating professional life in a foreign culture. I learned to translate my academic studies into real-world action – skills I’ll carry forward into my career.”

De Veaux was one among a number of college students who spoke on the Celebration of Giving, sharing how donor-funded scholarships and awards that help internships, research overseas and undergraduate analysis have ready them for Life After Mary Washington. With a theme of UMW satisfaction and college spirit, the Nov. 13 occasion welcomed greater than 200 friends to thank donors who contributed to the University’s success and have fun its historic fundraising 12 months and spectacular faculty rankings.

The night opened with the UMW Pep Band filling the Cedric Rucker University Center’s Chandler Ballroom with rousing renditions of fan favorites just like the Mary Washington struggle track, “Soar, Eagle Nation, Soar.” Guests then heard from a lineup of audio system, starting with Katie Turcotte, vp for development and alumni engagement and government director of the UMW Foundation.

Turcotte thanked supporters for contributing $37.8 million in gifts and pledges and serving to UMW’s endowment surpass $100 million. She additionally highlighted a number of milestones, together with Mary Wash Day exceeding $1 million in donations for the primary time, and the Fund for Mary Washington receiving greater than $1 million in unrestricted help. Donors funded 824 scholarships totaling $2.3 million for 553 college students this 12 months.

“Transformational impact isn’t about the size of the gift – it’s about purpose,” Turcotte stated. “Every contribution, every volunteer hour, every act of support helps move this University forward.”

UMW President Troy Paino acknowledged the University’s sturdy displaying in distinguished faculty guides, together with U.S. News & World Report and the Fiske Guide to Colleges. Yet, probably the most significant recognition to him, he stated, was The Princeton Review rating Mary Washington as #11 within the nation for “schools that make an impact.”

“Your gifts allow us to impact not only these individual students’ lives, but the communities in which they’ll live and serve,” Paino stated. “The rippling effect of the investments you make in Mary Washington is profound. And tonight is about helping you see that.”

Donors additionally heard from Kate Stoneman, a senior environmental science main who carried out fieldwork with their college mentor on a small island within the Potomac River that’s disappearing because of rising sea ranges. The analysis helped Stoneman safe a summer time internship with Chesapeake Water Watch, a NASA-funded venture that makes use of satellite tv for pc distant sensing to observe water high quality and assess ecosystem well being.

“I’m so grateful to my donors who helped fund my Shark Tooth Island research adventure,” stated Stoneman, recipient of the Carrol Adair Gury ’68 Environmental Sciences Scholarship and the Mary Siegrist Hinz ’81 Leadership Award. “I would not be where I am today, with multiple conferences and internships under my belt, without your help.”

Blake Bauer, a senior historic preservation main who obtained the UMW Alumni and Friends Scholarship and Veronica S. Johnson ’89 Scholarship for Historic Preservation, mirrored on the sudden alternatives that donor help made doable. One memorable expertise, he stated, was partaking in archaeology analysis to find Mary Washington’s gravesite.

“When I declared my major, I never could have imagined I’d be using ground-penetrating radar to search for the final resting place of our University’s namesake,” stated Bauer, who additionally interned with the National Park Service and the James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library as a Bowley Scholar.

Video manufacturing programs at UMW led Bauer to a summer time place with a PBS affiliate, the place he helped produce a documentary concerning the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in Southwest Virginia, which premiered final weekend. He at present serves as a Lively intern, one other donor-supported venture by way of University Communications, creating a video sequence on the historical past of campus buildings. He additionally earned the Barbara Alden International Scholarship to journey to Peru as a part of a digital storytelling course subsequent spring.

“Your support hasn’t just eased the financial burden of college; it has opened doors I didn’t know existed,” Bauer stated. “You’ve allowed me to explore, take risks, grow and discover passions I never knew I had. You’ve invested not just in my education, but in my future and in the person I’m becoming.”

Learn more about establishing scholarships and the way non-public help makes a distinction within the lives of UMW college students who obtain scholarships, analysis fellowships and internship grants.

View photos from the 2025 Celebration of Giving.

This story initially ran on Giving.umw.edu.