Student storytellers share the impact of giving at Donor Appreciation Banquet

Roughly 250 generous donors and contributors filled Yoder Arena on Friday evening to celebrate another banner year of philanthropy. President Susan Schultz Huxman updated them on the school’s Forward Together fundraising campaign and celebrated two new additions to the executive leadership team: Tynisha D. Willingham as provost and vice president of academic affairs and Dr. Shawn Ramer ’83 as chief operating officer and vice president of finance. Huxman also updated guests on the new track and field complex set to open next spring. The five student storytellers recognized at the banquet shared their journey of transformation at EMU thanks to donor giving.

Nate McGhee, a senior marketing major from Newport News, Virginia, spoke about his first days at EMU as a transfer student and the sense of comfort he immediately felt upon stepping onto campus. He talked about how he felt instantly welcome on the men’s volleyball team and how proud he felt to represent the U.S. on a team in Italy this summer.

“These are opportunities that I wouldn’t have ever thought would come my way when I was just an 18-year-old kid wondering what his next steps would be,” he said. “There I was, thinking I was a failure when I just needed to trust the process.”

Ashley De La Cruz, a sophomore studying elementary education from Veracruz, Mexico, spoke about her experience as a first-generation college student and how the supportive environment has encouraged her to explore her passions and pursue her goals.

“The hurdles I have overcome and the lessons I have learned have fueled my desire to create a more inclusive and equitable educational environment for others,” she said.

Hannah Beck, a senior from Linville, Virginia, majoring in psychology, shared the story of how her close friend diagnosed with a brain tumor was rushed to the hospital for surgery and later died, and how EMU helped support her during such a challenging time.

“I think, perhaps at another school, I may have gotten lost in the heaviness of my journey,” she said. “I may have fallen behind in studies and slowly forgotten why I came to college in the first place. Instead, at EMU, I found ways to keep living.”

Ray Ray Taylor, of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, a second-year grad student earning a master’s of science in biomedicine, talked about the welcome she received at EMU as a transfer student. The track star said she had been nervous about the team accepting her, but those nerves were “quickly wiped away” on the first day of practice.

“We all became a family at the track and almost every day was filled with positive energy and good vibes,” she said.

First-year grad student Amanda Gilbert, of Lanham, Maryland, who is earning her master’s of arts in counseling, shared how she had been nervous about entering college during the pandemic, but was soon making new friends and building positive relationships.

“During my time in the counseling program, I’ve been challenged academically and supported immensely. I can see my professors’ dedication to seeing me succeed as a counselor, and I am now living the dream.”