Far-Reaching Impact

Sam Gillespie addresses donors and scholars at the 2016 Scholarship Luncheon.

Sam Gillespie '15 addresses donors and scholars at the 2016 Scholarship Luncheon.

Donors and scholars gather for annual Scholarship Luncheon

The Scholarship Luncheon gathered more than 150 donors and scholarship recipients Saturday, May 7, to celebrate scholarship support at Dickinson. Held annually, the event, which gives donors a chance to meet the students benefiting from their gifts, featured a performance by student jazz band The EP Project, as well as comments by President Nancy Roseman, Sam Gillespie '15 and Lisa Kailian '94 on the far-reaching impact of scholarship gifts.

"There is simply no greater gift than one that opens the door to an education, which then opens the mind and, as a result, opens up a universe of possibilities," said Roseman. "Investing in the Dickinsonians who are in this room is an investment in all of us, for it's an investment in our collective future."

The EP Project (Edwin Padilla '16, Silvana Kreines, Ian Doyle ’18, Alex Dillon ’17, Aaron Ammerman ’16, Brady Hummel ’17) entertained attendants throughout the luncheon.

The EP Project (Edwin Padilla '16, Silvana Kreines '16, Ian Doyle ’18, Alex Dillon ’17, Aaron Ammerman ’16 and Brady Hummel ’17) entertained attendees throughout the luncheon.

Gillespie and Kailian provided personal stories to support Roseman's point. Gillespie explained how the scholarship that made Dickinson possible for him provided a rich liberal-arts experience that has helped him launch a career in finance with Bloomberg. Kailian, a genetic testing specialist with GeneDx, echoed Gillespie's sentiment and provided the luncheon's highlight when she announced that the Dickinson Fund scholarship she recently established would be named in honor of her mother, Silva Kailian, who also was in attendance.

Lisa C. Kailian '94
Establisher of the Silva Kailian Annual Scholarship 
Genetic Testing Specialist, GeneDx

Lisa Kailian '94, a genetic testing specialist at GeneDx, shared the impact that her scholarship has on her life.

"Dickinson’s education has made me the person I am today," said Kailian. "The liberal-arts education and activities that were offered to me shaped and molded my view of the world. ... I wanted to be able to give students the ability to alleviate some of the costs associated with their tuition and alleviate some of the debt they would have when they graduated. I have been able to do that with the Silva Kailian Scholarship, in honor of my mother, who made my dream of attending Dickinson a reality."

Lisa Kailian '94 and her mother, Silva, share a tearful embrace after Lisa announced that she established a Dickinson Fund scholarship in her mother's name.

Lisa Kailian '94 and her mother, Silva, share a tearful embrace after Lisa announced that she established a Dickinson Fund scholarship in her mother's name.

Prior to the luncheon, scholarship students sat down to discuss the impact of their scholarships in the following video, so their thoughts could be shared with donors unable to attend:

Video by Joe O'Neill

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Published May 12, 2016