Scholarship Luncheon and Student Showcase

Scholarships Shape Recent UMW Alum’s Future in International Affairs

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When Savannah Sinor ’26 graduated from the University of Mary Washington in May, the international affairs major already had plans to put her UMW education into practice as a business immigration paralegal in her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina.

A student in a blue cap and gown, smiling and standing on the UMW campus with brick buildings and pink blossoms in the background.
Savannah Sinor ’26, who earned a bachelor’s degree in international affairs at Mary Washington, is working as a business immigration paralegal before pursuing a law degree. Her scholarships helped provide her with a transformative education and impactful learning opportunities like a faculty-led development trip to Guatemala and a U.S. Department of State internship. Photo courtesy of Savannah Sinor.

“My experience has been wonderful,” said Savannah, who oversees several dozen employment-based petitions at a time, using her policy background and professional communication and time management skills she gained from Mary Washington. “I’ve already received several approvals, which is a fantastic feeling because each one represents a real person I’ve helped in their immigrant journey.”

Savannah, who minored in environmental sustainability and French, earned scholarships at UMW that supported her studies as an out-of-state student. The private funding also helped her find her purpose through experiential learning – a faculty-led trip to Latin America, a U.S. State Department internship, and undergraduate research – opportunities that have been foundational for her life and career after Mary Washington.

“My scholarships allowed me to focus more fully on my academic and professional goals without the added stress of financial uncertainty,” said Savannah, who was awarded the Paul and Judith Dresser Merit Scholarship all four years of college. She also earned the Elizabeth Baylor Neatrour ’54 and Mary Ellen Stephenson Memorial, Marjorie Jean Frost ’44, and Smith International Affairs scholarships. “These awards made me feel truly supported by the UMW community.”

Savannah visited Mary Washington for an open house during high school and fell in love with the Georgian architecture and fall foliage. Her college decision was an easy one, she said, thanks to the Washington Guides who helped her navigate campus as well as the faculty members who readily answered her questions.

“Mary Washington is not just a school but a home and community,” said Savannah, who was president of her high school’s Model United Nations chapter and was attracted to the University’s focus on intercultural competence. “Everyone here was welcoming, and UMW was so integrated with Fredericksburg that I knew I could be happy here. And I’ve been so very happy.”

She served as a peer mentor and resident assistant and was active in UMW’s Renaissance Club and The House, an inclusive Episcopalian-Lutheran campus ministry. She also completed the Peace Corps Prep Program through UMW’s Center for International Education.

Through a Sustainable Development course with Professor of Geography Dawn Bowen, she went on a faculty-led study abroad trip to Guatemala. “We stayed in a villager’s home on a mountain top, learning about sustainable development and how to empower women to build their own businesses,” she said.

She wrote her UMW Honors Program thesis on U.S. interventionism during the 30-year Guatemalan civil war, then presented the paper at a national political science conference.

“Savannah was a truly exceptional student, always prepared and willing to engage with unfamiliar material,” Professor Bowen said. “Her thesis was one of the finest pieces of student scholarship that I’ve seen in my three-decades long teaching career.”

Savannah Sinor ’26 took a semester off to intern full time at the U.S. Department of State in the Office of Caribbean Affairs. Photo courtesy of Savannah Sinor.
Savannah Sinor ’26 went on a faculty-led grassroots trip to Guatemala with Professor of Geography Dawn Bowen and her classmates to study environmental and sustainable development. Photo courtesy of Savannah Sinor.
At UMW’s Scholarship Luncheon last spring, Savannah Sinor ’26 shared how earning the Paul and Judith Dresser Merit Scholarship, Elizabeth Baylor Neatrour ’54 and Mary Ellen Stephenson Memorial Scholarship, Marjorie Jean Frost ’44 Scholarship, and Smith International Affairs Scholarship gave her the chance to go on a faculty-led trip to Guatemala, become a full-time intern at the U.S. State Department, and present her research at a national political science conference. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.

Savannah took a semester off to work full time in the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Caribbean Affairs, giving her the chance to engage with diplomats and visitors from across the globe.

“I even met a Mary Washington alumna who graduated in the 1960s on a tour of the U.S Capitol,” she said. She also completed a summer internship with the North Carolina Department of Natural Cultural Resources, and another as a grant writer, where she helped apply for over $300,000 in funds to support two client nonprofits.

After spending some time as a paralegal, Savannah plans to earn a law degree and is considering a master’s degree in international affairs, before pursuing a career in the federal government.

Her aspirations are possible, she said, because of the transformative education she found at Mary Washington.

“I had all these opportunities because of my scholarships,” she said last spring at the annual Scholarship Luncheon and Student Showcase. “I’m so grateful for the faculty members and donors who believed in my potential and who’ve invested so generously in UMW students and their futures.”

Learn more about establishing scholarships and how private support makes a difference in the lives of UMW students who receive scholarships, research fellowships, and internship grants. Find scholarship opportunities that are available to UMW students.

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

At UMW Scholarship Luncheon, Students Share Stories of Growth and Gratitude

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University of Mary Washington junior Hannah Jadgchew has been able to do it all in college. She has worked on a research team with her faculty mentor, participated in a clinical internship, competed on UMW’s varsity field hockey team, held leadership roles, and even spearheaded an effort to donate 20,000 lbs. of food to local shelters.

“My scholarships have given me the freedom to flourish and engage in everything Mary Washington has to offer,” said Hannah, who came from San Diego to major in psychology and minor in neuroscience at UMW. She’s preparing for a career in speech and occupational therapy, hoping to “give a voice to children in this world who weren’t necessarily born with one.”

She thanked the donors who established the Llewellyn Scholarship in Psychology, the Kenneth L. Steen Scholarship, and the Civic Leadership and Community Engagement Scholarship that have supported her at Mary Washington over the past three years.

“Your investment doesn’t just fund education,” she said. “It transforms lives.”

That resounding message summed up the 2026 Scholarship Luncheon and Student Showcase on March 21. The annual event honors supporters who’ve established and funded private scholarships and members of UMW’s Washington and Heritage Societies who have contributed or pledged significant gifts to the University.

Hannah Jadgchew ’27 and other scholarship recipients shared their stories at the annual Scholarship Luncheon and Student Showcase in April. Here, Hannah poses with several of her donors, Mark Ingrao ’81 (left) and Deborah and James Llewellyn ’87 (right), immediate past president of UMW’s Alumni Association Board of Directors. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
Matthew Cabrera ’27 shares research with donor Carolyn Gore. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
Mollie Moomaw ’26 and one of her donors, UMW Foundation Board of Trustees member Vicky Nichols Wilder ’80, who helped establish the Friends of Dance Scholarship, which Mollie received. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
Kassandra Williams ’26 shares computer science research with Jake Jacocks, who established the First-Generation Scholarship Endowment with wife Trenda Powell Jacocks ’82. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
Fiona Stevens ’26 with donors Bill Williams and Patricia Poole, who established the Kendra Lynn Williams ’95 Scholarship, which Fiona received. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
Rev. Trenda Powell Jacocks ’82 shares her Mary Washington story and how being the first in her family to attend college inspired her and husband Jake to create the First-Generation Scholarship Endowment. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.

Attendees learned about academic research and artistic pursuits showcased by scholarship recipients on the first floor of the Cedric Rucker University Center before enjoying a springtime luncheon. They then listened as students expressed their gratitude and heard from UMW President Troy Paino and longtime donor Rev. Trenda Powell Jacocks ’82, who created the First-Generation Scholarship Endowment with her husband, Jake.

First in her family to attend college, Rev. Jacocks earned a bachelor’s degree in American studies at Mary Washington and a master’s degree in theological studies in Northern Virginia, where she now serves as a pastor. She’s currently pursuing a doctor of ministry degree, which she’ll complete next year.

“We wanted to model our journey for today’s students – to give them the same launch into the world my family gave me,” said Rev. Jacocks, who is sponsoring a challenge during Mary Wash Day on March 25-26. Quoting the late poet laureate Maya Angelou, she said, “I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.”

President Paino thanked donors for their generosity over the past year, which saw a record-breaking $37.8 million in gifts and pledges from alumni and friends. Donors gave $3.57 million to support endowed and non-endowed scholarships in 2024-25. More than 824 scholarships and awards totaling $2.3 million – including 17 scholarships presented for the first time – were given to 553 students who received one or more scholarships.

President Troy Paino thanked donors for their generous gifts and celebrated the UMW men’s basketball team making it to the 2026 D-III national championships. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
Donor Adam Fried with several recipients of the Curie Darwin Newton Scholarship. From left: Bryar Laine ’28, Adam Fried, Travis Jimenez ’29, Justin Yoder ’29, and Caroline VanEpps ’29. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
Guests enjoyed a delicious springtime luncheon by UMW Dining. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
Dianne Madocks ’25, recipient of the Craig Family Scholarship, with her donor, Marty Abbott ’72, a member of the UMW Foundation Board of Trustees. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
UMW Foundation Board of Trustees member Lou Marmo ’94 and wife Jill Marmo chat with their scholarship recipient, Julia Hall-Pace ’27, who received the Louis A. ’94 and Jill Marmo Partnership for the Future Scholarship. Lou was recently announced as UMW’s 2026 Commencement speaker. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
1950 classmates Florence Overly Ridderhof (left) and Marcy Weatherly Morris reconnect at the 2026 Scholarship Luncheon and Student Showcase. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
UMW Foundation Board of Trustees member Donna Sheehan Gladis ’68 and husband Steve chat with Assistant Vice President for Gift Planning Emeritus Jan Clarke (center). Photo by K Pearlman Photography.

“Your investments make such a difference in the lives of these students to be able to reach their true potential and make this world a better place,” President Paino said. “I hope that being able to interact with some of the beneficiaries of your generosity today is meaningful to all of you.”

Senior Savannah Sinor, an international affairs major and French and sustainability minor, shared how receiving the Paul and Judith Dresser Merit Scholarship all four years made it financially feasible to attend Mary Washington as an out-of-state student from North Carolina.

Her awards helped her study abroad on a faculty-led trip to rural Guatemala, intern full time at the U.S. State Department, and present her undergraduate research paper at a national political science conference.

Savannah, who also received the Elizabeth Baylor Neatrour ’54 and Mary Ellen Stephenson Memorial, Marjorie Jean Frost ’44, and Smith International Affairs scholarships, thanked her donors for “believing in my potential and making my education and these life-changing experiences possible.”

William Goodman, a junior double majoring in history and Middle Eastern studies from Virginia Beach, shared how he had his own transformative experiential learning opportunities after earning the Dr. Hamlin A. Caldwell Scholarship in History and Dr. James Farmer Scholarship.

“My scholarships unlocked worlds I couldn’t have afforded otherwise,” said William, who spent a semester attending the American University in Cairo last fall, courtesy of the Constance Booth Logothetis ’61 Study Abroad Scholarship. Not only did it support his academic studies, he said, but he was able to explore the country and expand his horizons.

“The altruism shown by those who’ve established scholarships and donated to Mary Washington is truly admirable,” he said. “You are helping the next generation succeed.”

William Goodman ’27 shares how receiving the Dr. Hamlin A. Caldwell Scholarship in History, Dr. James Farmer Scholarship, and Constance Booth Logothetis ’61 Study Abroad Scholarship helped him thrive at Mary Washington and the American University in Cairo, where he studied last fall. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
Deena Hodge ’27, recipient of the Fredericksburg Network Scholarship and other awards, with donor Mary Helen Dellinger ’90. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
At UMW’s Scholarship Luncheon last spring, Savannah Sinor ’26 shared how earning the Paul and Judith Dresser Merit Scholarship, Elizabeth Baylor Neatrour ’54 and Mary Ellen Stephenson Memorial Scholarship, Marjorie Jean Frost ’44 Scholarship, and Smith International Affairs Scholarship gave her the chance to go on a faculty-led trip to Guatemala, become a full-time intern at the U.S. State Department, and present her research at a national political science conference. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
Adelaide Gill ’26, the recipient of the A. Ray Merchent Washington Scholarship, with her donors, Cindy Jones Merchent ’77 and Al Merchent. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
Virginia Powell and Meredith Walburn ’27, recipient of the Virginia H. Powell UMW Philharmonic Orchestra Scholarship and other awards. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
Music major Sean Henry ’26 leads guests in singing the Mary Washington Alma Mater. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
From left: Deb Stanley Leap ’72 with her recipient, Abigail Powers ’27, who earned the Debra Stanley Leap ’72 Scholarship in Biology, and Deb’s daughter, Amy Leap ’12. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.
Jake and Trenda Powell Jacocks ’82, who met on the Mary Washington campus when she was a student, and he was in the U.S. Army. They established the First-Generation Scholarship Endowment to support students like Trenda, who was first in her family to attend college. Photo by K Pearlman Photography.

Find scholarship opportunities that are available to UMW students. Learn more about establishing scholarships and how private support makes a difference in the lives of UMW students who receive awards, research fellowships, and internship grants. View photos from the 2026 Scholarship Luncheon and Student Showcase.

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