Westmont Magazine Helping Students Say Yes to Westmont

Students accepted to Westmont receive a brightly colored admissions packet that says in bold letters, “Westmont said yes!” Endowed scholarships enable students to say yes to Westmont.

The college has doubled the number of endowed scholarships since Gayle D. Beebe became president in 2007. Westmont has grown and expanded in innovative ways, and donors get excited about new programs, centers and initiatives. They want to be part of it and invest in future students. Because of their generosity, the college has added 88 more scholarships and awards nearly 160 endowed scholarships each year. Students will receive nine newly created scholarships beginning in fall 2022.

Lori Ann Banez, director of foundation and corporate relations, knows students who could never have said yes to Westmont without these scholarships. She sees endowed scholarships change their financial picture and trajectories in life.

Alums who create endowed scholarships tell stories about their own financial struggles and the incredible moment of walking across the stage and receiving their Westmont diploma. They want to provide the same life-changing opportunity to someone else. “It’s wonderful to hear these stories and understand how Westmont has shaped their lives,” Banez says. “And now they’re paying it forward for someone else. I get a little emotional about that.”

Without the generosity of donors, many students would need to leave Westmont before graduating. Endowed scholarships provide unimaginable opportunities for students. They see history and culture come alive in the streets of London, Cairo and Singapore by studying abroad. They discover new passions and career possibilities by conducting research with their professors. They develop their talents as athletes, scholars, artists, musicians and actors. They grow in their faith through their classes, chapel and student ministries. They graduate with less debt and can pursue jobs that fit their passions.

Westmont invests the funds it receives for endowed scholarships. Part of the earnings provides assistance to students and makes education more accessible and affordable for them. The remaining earnings increase the principal so the endowment grows and the scholarship makes a bigger impact.

Donors who give money toward an endowed scholarship may also decide to leave a gift through their estate to provide additional funds for the scholarship after their death. Endowed funds continue to grow and provide support for generations of students. Banez describes it as the “gift that keeps on giving.”

Students and donors often form lifelong relationships through endowed scholarships. Donors make their gift to the college and learn the identity of the recipient in their annual endowment reports. They also receive a thank-you note from the student, who describes the impact of the scholarship. Donors may meet their students at scholarship luncheons and learn about their passions and desires for the future. Many continue to correspond and stay connected.

Thanks to an endowed scholarship, Rachel Pace ’21 has benefited from mentors in the Westmont community and grown her passion for the Gospel. A communication studies major, she graduates in December confident that God will use her and her story to glorify him. She met her scholarship patrons, Mike and Sandy Prather, at the annual luncheon. Mike works for the college in physical plant, and Sandy graduated from Westmont in 1986. “They’re people who sacrifice to help students like me,” Rachel says. She and Sandy have met several times. Once in a while, Rachel finds a homemade dessert in her mailbox. “They’ve really made an effort to be part of my life,” Rachel says.

Westmont seeks to increase the size of these endowed funds because they make such a huge difference for students. The college plans to add 75 more endowed scholarships between now and 2027 and envisions a day when half of Westmont students benefit from endowed scholarships.

“Westmont students are amazing,” Banez says. “They’re engaged with their community and desire to make a difference — and they do. They contribute to the college as students and to the community they call home after they graduate. That’s why I love working here.”