Giving Stories

#MakeItPossible for Mary Washington Students on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28

November 15, 2023 Leave a Comment

The University of Mary Washington is inviting members of its community to give back in honor or in memory of the person who had the greatest impact on them at Mary Washington.

With a theme of #MakeItPossible, UMW’s Giving Tuesday celebration will give donors the opportunity to invest in the education of current and future students so they can fulfill their dreams – while thanking those at Mary Washington who supported their own.

Alumni, families, friends, faculty, staff, and students are invited to make gifts of any size to areas across the University on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Nov. 28, from midnight to 11:59 p.m. on givingday.umw.edu/makeitpossible. More than $47,000 in challenges and matches sponsored by generous donors are waiting to be unlocked throughout the day, doubling the impact of each gift:

Each gift of $500 or less made to the unrestricted Fund for Mary Washington will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund, up to $12,500.
If 200 donations are made to the Beyond the Classroom Endowment during the month of November, Mary T. Bradley MacPherson ’71 will unlock $10,000 for the College of Arts and Sciences initiative to support students studying abroad.
The College of Business Executive Advisory Board will match all gifts to the College of Business up to $5,000.
Steve and Donna Sheehan Gladis ’68 will match each gift made to the College of Education, dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000.
Alec and Betty Olander Adams ’69 will match each gift to the General Scholarship Fund, dollar-for-dollar, up to $5,000.
Sheehy Toyota of Fredericksburg will match all gifts to Friends of Athletics up to $5,000.
Brian ’84 and Erma Baker ’82 will match all gifts to the UMW Veterans Endowment, up to $5,000, supporting Mary Washington students who have served or are active service members.

Other areas addressing critical needs include the Cedric Rucker ’81 S.O.S. Fund, an endowment in “support of our students,” helping those who have unexpected or life-altering emergencies, and the Gwen Hale Resource Center, which provides food, toiletries, clothing, and other necessities for students in need.

UMW’s Office of Annual Giving has several perks for gift-givers, including an opportunity for young alumni to name a campus squirrel – and get a digital certificate as a keepsake – when a donation of $19.08 or more (in honor of the University’s founding year) is made to the Fund for Mary Washington. Parents, guardians, and family members of current students will earn their Eagle a note of encouragement and bag of Hershey’s Hugs and Kisses during finals week when they make a gift on Giving Tuesday.

Alumni and friends can pitch in even more by serving as a #GivingTuesday ambassador. They’ll receive an exclusive toolkit and a unique referral link to inspire others to give. Anyone who posts on social media throughout the day is encouraged to use #MakeItPossible and #GivingTuesday.

Visit givingday.umw.edu/makeitpossible to learn more about Giving Tuesday challenges and to sign up to be a Giving Tuesday ambassador.

Why I Give: Barbara Upson Gravely Welch ’61

November 14, 2023 Leave a Comment

Six decades have passed since Barbara Upson Gravely Welch donned her graduation cap and gown, but she still remembers the bittersweet feelings she had about leaving Mary Washington.

Barbara Upson Gravely Welch '61 as a senior at Mary Washington. Photo courtesy of The Battlefield Yearbook/UMW Libraries' Special Collections and University Archives. — Barbara Upson Gravely Welch ’61 as a senior at Mary Washington. Photo courtesy of The Battlefield Yearbook/UMW Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives.

“I was almost sad to graduate,” said Barbara, who started out a shy history major but was eventually elected senior class president. “I enjoyed my college years immensely and realized what a difference Mary Washington made in my life. That’s what inspired my giving.”

Barbara has donated to the University of Mary Washington every year since she graduated, earning her a spot in UMW’s new Forever True Circle, which honors donors who have made a recurring or annual contribution for three or more years. Her gifts to the unrestricted Fund for Mary Washington underscore her trust in the University and help guarantee that it can continue to address its most pressing needs.

“I benefited from all aspects of my Mary Washington education,” said Barbara, who grew up in Delaware and Central New Jersey. She hadn’t even heard of the small school in Fredericksburg until several friends mentioned it, but a visit to campus confirmed that it was the place for her.

She loved the history courses she took with Professors Carrol H. Quenzel and Laura Sumner, as well as the broad liberal arts and sciences curriculum she found at Mary Washington. “College really opens your mind to different perspectives, opinions, and ideas,” she said.

Barbara then became president of her senior class and gained a seat on Honor Council, serving as its vice president. “Those experiences made me into a confident young adult,” she said. “Faculty at my high school said that they needed to send more students to Mary Washington, because of how I had turned out.”

After graduation, she taught high school history until her children were born. She jumped into a new profession over a decade later, becoming an environmental paralegal in the legal department of chemical manufacturer DuPont, where her father had also worked.

Barbara Upson Gravely Welch '61 with her late husband, Charles Welch. — Barbara Upson Gravely Welch ’61 with her late husband, Charles Welch.

“I fell in love with the law,” said Barbara, who rose through the ranks for 25 years, until she retired in 2004. She spent the next decade earning her pilot’s license and learning how to fly her husband’s plane. “My education has allowed me to zigzag and try many different things.”

Over the years, she has kept in touch with Mary Washington, at first by interviewing scholarship applicants and participating in a regional alumni network, where she enjoyed connecting with older alumni from the 1930s and 1940s. Now, Barbara misses her dear friend, Connie Booth Logothetis ’61, who always shared her important milestones with their classmates in Class Notes.

And Barbara continues to invest in UMW and its students. “College is such a formative time and what you do with it makes a difference for the rest of your life,” she said. “Mary Washington helped me, and I want to honor that by giving back.”

Q: As a student, what was your favorite spot on the Mary Washington campus?
A: The Ann Carter Lee Hall kitchen/café.

Q: What might surprise your classmates to learn about you?
A: I’m taking voice lessons for the first time. After COVID, it seemed like we didn’t talk or sing as much. Now that I’m alone, I needed a new challenge and wanted to try something creative.

Q: What else do you do in your free time?
A: I no longer fly our plane, but I love to travel and just returned from Hawaii. I also exercise and volunteer at the Mary Campbell Center in Wilmington, Delaware. My second husband, Charles Welch, founded it in 1976 as a residence for disabled adults, in honor of his daughter, Charmie.

Q: What are the words you live by?
A: When I was nervous about taking on leadership roles in college, my father said, “Barbara, if you respect the people who asked you, you should have no doubt that they believe you can do it.” After that, I went through life accepting any challenge that came my way.

To learn more about the Forever True Circle or the Fund for Mary Washington, please contact Director of Annual Giving Shelby Orlando ’14 at sorlando@umw.edu or 540-654-1361.

Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04

Gift Planning Connections – Fall 2023

November 9, 2023 Leave a Comment

In this issue:

Meet scholarship recipient Adelaide “Ada” Gill ’26. Ada is majoring in chemistry and participating in campus activities while exploring her career options.

Learn about a new scholarship for students interested in, but not majoring in, theatre. This scholarship is being funded by Heritage Society members Daniel and Diana Hamilton Cowell ’66.

Discover tips to support UMW through an RMD, a QCD, a charitable gift annuity, or through a bequest in your will.

Read a special message from President Paino about fundraising success and our Washington Scholarship students.

See how a bequest written more than three decades ago by Anne Hope Scott ’59 will now fund a scholarship for chemistry students.

Read each story in the fall edition of Gift Planning Connections by selecting the links above, or click here to view a PDF version.

Mock Interview Competition Preps UMW Students to Land the Job

November 9, 2023 Leave a Comment

Senior Aniya Stewart ’24 sharpened her skills before taking part in the Mock Interview Competition at the University of Mary Washington last month. She researched how to answer the toughest questions and reflected on her past performances when applying for jobs.

Still, she was surprised when she was declared the winner. “My shock wore off when the judges explained their reasoning and gave feedback,” said Aniya, a mathematics major at Mary Washington. “I was elated after that and called my mom to share the good news.”

Aniya, who is already looking for her first post-college position, said she feels more prepared than ever after participating twice in the competition, held every other year for UMW Student Alumni Ambassadors, or SAAs. The event equips students with strategies and techniques to nail any interview – and hopefully, the job.

Along with Network Mary Wash, it’s one of many initiatives organized by the Office of University Advancement and Alumni Engagement to introduce UMW students to the vast network of graduates whose guidance can help them launch their careers and lives after college. A recent Mary Talk held on Nov. 15 featured Associate Provost for Career and Workforce Kimberly Young discussing the key competencies the University has adopted to prepare students for Life After Mary Washington.

Aniya Stewart ’24, winner of the 2023 Mock Interview Competition. Aniya is a mathematics major and a member of the Student Alumni Ambassadors, who participate in the biennial competition. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Shadwick Yoder ’25, an SAA and a finalist in the 2023 Mock Interview Competition. Shadwick is a political science major and an environmental sustainability minor. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

Natalie Baca ’24, an SAA and a finalist in the 2023 Mock Interview Competition. Natalie is a biomedical sciences major and neuroscience minor. Photo by Karen Pearlman.

This year’s interview competition saw 16 participants vie for a job as a program assistant in UMW’s Office of Student Activities and Engagement. While the position was fictional, Aniya will get a real recommendation from Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement Katie Turcotte and an overnight stay at a regional alumni event.

A finalist during her senior year, Assistant Director of Annual Giving Cadiann Treviño Pinto ’22 serves as staff advisor of the SAA program, which fosters relationships between alumni and students. “I provide pointers like ‘dress to impress, come early, and look for verbal and nonverbal cues,’” she said, but ultimately, the students are responsible for matching their qualifications to the job description.

“This is an essential experiential learning opportunity for UMW students, preparing them to succeed in the real world,” said College of Business Dean Filiz Tabak, who served on a panel of alumni, faculty, and staff judges who evaluated the participants over two rounds. While all the students were “well-prepared, personable, and professional,” Dean Tabak said, Aniya’s confidence, authenticity, and comfort with taking risks helped her stand out among her peers.

Michael Gilchrist ’20, who also served as a judge, said that being a former finalist in the competition helped him distinguish a good interview from a great one. His own mock interviews as a SAA helped him secure his current position as a global client and project manager at D.C.-based ROI Training. “Even to this day, I use the feedback I received to better position myself among other applicants.”

Junior Shadwick Yoder ’25 may have fielded a few curveball questions, but he said that making it to the final round gave him the confidence he needs to pursue his future career.

“Being an SAA has given me many firsts in the realm of professional development,” said Shadwick, a political science major and environmental sustainability minor, who applied to the program during his first semester at Mary Washington. “All of the skills I’ve gained are extremely valuable, no matter what field I enter.”

Learn more about the Student Alumni Ambassador program at the University of Mary Washington by contacting Assistant Director of Annual Giving Cadiann Treviño Pinto ’22 at ctrevino@umw.edu or 540-654-1153.

Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04

Beyond the Classroom Endowment Brings the World to UMW Students

November 7, 2023 Leave a Comment

University of Mary Washington senior Nathaniel Huff ’24 attended 19 professional theatre performances in the span of three weeks – more than most patrons see in a year – on the UMW Theatre in London trip last summer.

A theatre major, Nathaniel grew up in a small town with limited access to his chosen field. He said that going abroad exposed him and his classmates to a wide variety of plays and musicals, including several world premieres.

“There is no doubt that the productions I witnessed are influencing my work and giving me ideas on how to engage with the creative process,” said Nathaniel, who is currently directing a play he discovered at England’s National Theatre for his senior project.

UMW senior Nathaniel Huff received the Beyond the Classroom Education Abroad Scholarship to go on the UMW Theatre in London trip last summer. Alumna Mary T. Bradley MacPherson ’71 has sponsored a challenge, which will unlock $10,000 for study abroad if 200 gifts are made to Beyond the Classroom in the month of November. Photo courtesy of Nathaniel Huff.

Nathaniel (back row, third from right) saw 19 productions during the three-week trip, including the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Maggie O’Farrell’s ‘Hamnet’ (a fictional account of Shakespeare’s son) in Stratford-upon-Avon. Photo courtesy of UMW Theatre.

Nathaniel’s participation in the six-credit course, which also took students to the Globe Theatre and other Shakespearean sites, was made possible by UMW’s Beyond the Classroom Endowment (BtC). The initiative, founded three years ago, supports experiential learning such as study abroad, undergraduate research, internships, and travel to academic conferences. Now, the Beyond the Classroom Education Abroad Scholarship, first awarded last year, has given students like Nathaniel the funding to study overseas.

“BtC was started to provide access to those learning experiences that make such a critical difference in the education and lives of our students,” said College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) Dean Keith Mellinger. According to UMW’s Center for International Education, one in three students study abroad while attending Mary Washington. “These opportunities set our students apart from others in a very crowded and highly competitive work environment,” Dean Mellinger said.

Generous donors have raised more than $600,000 for the initiative, which is already being used by UMW students. The long-term goal, Dean Mellinger said, is creating a $1 million endowed fund, which will generate tens of thousands of dollars for students each year.

Mary T. Bradley MacPherson '71 (right) with President of Slovakia Zuzana Čaputová. Photo courtesy of Mary T. Bradley MacPherson '71. — Mary T. Bradley MacPherson ’71 (right) with President of Slovakia Zuzana Čaputová. Photo courtesy of Mary T. Bradley MacPherson ’71.

Mary T. Bradley MacPherson ’71 has sponsored a challenge, which will unlock $10,000 for study abroad if 200 gifts are made to Beyond the Classroom in the month of November. The timing coincides with International Education Week, Nov. 13-17. Donations made on Giving Tuesday, Nov. 28, will also count toward the total.

“It’s enriching to see how other cultures live and to be exposed to different perspectives,” said Mary, who majored in American Studies at Mary Washington. Her liberal arts education prepared her for a career promoting organizational capacity building, educational exchange, and entrepreneurship, which brought her to 45 countries across the globe. Since 2010, she led the Slovak-American Foundation, strengthening business partnerships between the two countries, until the nonprofit ceased this year after reaching its final goals.

Mary T. Bradley MacPherson, as a junior at Mary Washington, in the Battlefield Yearbook. Photo courtesy of UMW Special Collections and University Archives.

A longtime CAS Advisory Board member, Mary has supported BtC since its inception and said she hopes her challenge will inspire her fellow alumni to give. “A small amount of money goes a long way in helping students have life-changing experiences.”

That’s true of sophomore Grace Gower ’26, a historic preservation major who went to France last summer for a course taught by UMW Professor of Historic Preservation Andréa Livi Smith and offered through the MICEFA consortium of French universities.

A Paris native, Dr. Smith led Grace and her classmates through the urban and architectural history of the City of Lights, touring museums, cathedrals, city parks, catacombs and world-famous sites like the Eiffel Tower and the Palace of Versailles, which Grace captured through photography.

“The Beyond the Classroom Endowment helped pay my tuition fees for the course when my family was in a bit of a rough patch,” said Grace, who plans to pursue a career in historic preservation and urban planning. “I’m very grateful that it relieved some of the costs so I could take advantage of this unique opportunity.”

UMW sophomore Grace Gower (fifth from left) received the Beyond the Classroom Education Abroad Scholarship, which enabled her to go on a faculty-led UMW in France trip to study historic preservation in Paris. Here, she and her classmates visit the gravesite of Eliza Monroe Hay, daughter of President James Monroe. Hay was born in Fredericksburg and died in Paris. Photo courtesy of UMW Professor of Historic Preservation Andréa Livi Smith.

Grace’s photo of the Musee d’Orsay, an art museum in Paris housed in a former train station. Photo by Grace Gower.

Grace’s photo of the Cité de l’Architecture, an architecture museum in Paris. Photo by Grace Gower.

Learn more about Beyond the Classroom or make your gift. For information, please contact Jeremy Vaughn ’08 in the Office of University Advancement at jvaughn@umw.edu or 540-654-2063. Visit UMW’s Center for International Education to learn more about study abroad opportunities at Mary Washington.

Article by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04

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