By Ruth Scovill, For Iron County Today
SUU’s Annual Scholarship Banquet was held Friday, March 20th in the ballroom of the Sharwan Smith Student Center. Every year, this banquet celebrates both the accomplishments of outstanding SUU scholarship recipients and the generosity of community members and other donors who make these scholarships available. The banquet is a unique opportunity for the scholarship recipients to meet and visit with the scholarship donors. It is also a very satisfying experience for the donors to meet those who benefit from their generosity.
This academic year, there are 1016 scholarship recipients at SUU who received a combined total of about $2.4 million dollars in donor funded scholarships. These funds come from over 460 privately funded scholarships, Scholarship recipients are seated with donors at the banquet. This allows the donors to meet the students who benefit from their generosity, and the students to understand first-hand where the money that is helping to fund their education is coming from.
The evening included the delightful music of the Hal Campbell Student String Quartet (Melody Stevens, MK Jensen, Min Andrus, and Max Torres), and a lively and whimsical number called “Birds of Paradise” composed by Erick Morales, and performed by the SUU Trumpet Ensemble (Andrew Bean, Kobi Brittenham, Landon Fowles, Kail Limb, Seth Seegmiller, and Noah Smith, directed by Professor David Torres).
Two of the scholarship recipients also spoke: Gloria Garcia, a graduating senior who will be receiving a degree in social work; and Cade Brazier who is graduating this year with a master’s in business administration.
Gloria was born and raised in a small town in Mexico. She is the mother of five children, three of whom are also attending SUU. She is a marathon runner who has competed in more than 60 long distance races. She has her own small business. After graduating she plans to take a master’s degree and become a bilingual therapist, giving back to the community, just as she has received help in achieving her dreams.
Cade Brazier spoke of the challenges he faced making it to college as a member of a family with 12 kids in the small town of Huntington, Utah. Scholarships allowed him to achieve his dreams of coming to school and playing basketball as a Division 1 athlete. He also talked about his younger brother, Treven Brazier, who also came to SUU amid his own set of challenges, and had the opportunity to participate in track and field at SUU. Unfortunately, Treven passed away two years ago, a tragedy that inspired Cade and his family to establish and fund a scholarship in his memory that will allow a student from their community to attend SUU. Cade noted how scholarships help change lives and give students a chance to rise above their challenges.
The alumni speaker for the evening was Levi Larson. Levi graduated from SUU with a bachelor’s in accounting in 2008. While at SUU, he was the recipient of the AW Stephenson endowed scholarship, and the William H. & Patricia Child Scholarship. He has now been working in the financial business for 17 years and is the founder and owner of Larson Financial Companies. Levi and his wife Erin serve as members of the SUU Legacy Advisory Council.
Levi’s message was one of thanksgiving for the education and opportunities that have opened doors for him, as well as for his wife, and his business partner, Wade Williams, who also graduated from SUU. He emphasized the importance of paying it forward, as we all benefit from the generosity of others. He said, “The scholarships which we received, and the ones specifically for me, empowered me to dream bigger, push myself further and higher.” He and his wife have made goals to pay it forward. Levi challenged those in attendance to pay it forward. “Give as much as you can, push yourself a little more, and you will bless lives.”
SUU President, Mindy Benson, concluded the program by sharing that each of us has a story. The following excerpt from her talk focuses on how those stories are woven together:
Our students, as you heard tonight, arrive here with challenges, and struggles, and they tell us stories of gratitude and resilience, and it all makes them who they are. . . SUU (will) be an important chapter in that.
Every donor has a story as well, and some may have sacrificed greatly to be able to give to a scholarship. . .because of that scholarship, your lives are inextricably intertwined from here on out. I want you students to make sure that you make these donors a part of your story, and write that as a part of your lives.
President Benson then recounted the lasting effects that receiving a scholarship from Wes Larson, a former teacher at SUU who has since died, has had on her own life. She concluded by saying:
So students, as you write your story, I ask you to remember each of your donors. Listen to their stories tonight, Find out who they are, and why it’s important to them to support you on your educational journey. Then carry on their legacy for them.
To our donors, thank you so much for believing in our students and investing in their future, And thank you from the bottom of my heart for trusting SUU to help make students’ dreams come true. . .and students, remember, go leave a legacy that we will be proud of. Thank you for all you do and congratulations.
Anyone interested in supporting scholarships at SUU is invited to contact Staci Carson, Associate Vice President for Advancement, at [email protected].
Picture Caption: Mindy Benson, Cade & Abby Brazier, Staci Carson