“It is our hope that once you’ve graduated and finished your education that maybe one day you will volunteer your time and give back to your community to help others in need,” Greater Waldorf Jaycees Foundation (GWJF) Community Liason Suzanne Wible told this year’s scholarship recipients. “We believe that students involved in community activities learn as much about life as they do in books. This makes well-rounded leaders in our community; and you are the future leaders in our community.”

Wible, GWJF Government Liason Kevin Wedding and CSM Foundation Chair Jay Lilly, all CSM alumni who spoke at the reception, not only talked to students about paying it forward, but also demonstrated they have done so themselves many times over by establishing college scholarships or serving the community.

Lilly, class of 1975, told the audience that he got his start at CSM with a scholarship. “My experience at the college back then was great; the campus was young and growing and is even more impressive now. The faculty was one of the reasons that I found my transfer to Georgetown University seamless,” said Lilly. “A resident of Charles County and a business owner, it was because of the outstanding instruction and support I received at CSM that I was able to reach my level of success today as the owner of two real estate offices serving the tri-county, Prince George’s, Virginia and the D.C. area.”

“Jay is a perfect example of someone 'paying it forward.' A donor believed in him when he was a struggling student and now through his involvement with the foundation, his fundraising efforts and his own personal contributions, he has shown hundreds of students that someone believes in them, too,” said CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried. "Suzanne and Kevin are also 'paying it forward.' I want to challenge you, the scholarship recipients we are honoring this evening, to pay it forward as Kevin, Suzanne and Jay have done.”

Scholarship renewal recipient and a business administration major, William Pike, of Waldorf, spoke to guests about his struggle to determine what he wanted to do with this life. “I knew I wanted to continue my education, but I could not afford it,” he said. Although initially he had reservations about attending CSM, he soon discovered that all the classes at CSM would be the same as if he were to attend Salisbury University where he plans to transfer. “Without the support of faculty and the generosity of the CSM Foundation it would be impossible for me to stand before you today, one semester away from graduating and transferring to my dream school with an associate’s [degree] in business administration.”

Renewal recipient of the Jaycees/Foundation scholarship, Jordan Zeitler, of La Plata, told guests that he is one of seven children who have all been instilled with an ethic that hard work pays off. One of the biggest factors in his decision to attend CSM for his associate’s degree was affordability. “Our current [national] student loan debt has eclipsed our country’s credit card debt and is climbing daily. With the help of organizations like the Jaycees, it is possible for students to attend college and achieve their dreams. Higher education is so important to the development of our nation and I could not tell you how much I appreciate all the hard work of all involved in the scholarship,” Zeitler said.

Recipients of the Jaycee scholarship receive a renewal scholarship when they maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.5. Additionally, the renewal recipient with the highest GPA as well as the departing student with the highest GPA are awarded an additional $1,000. The renewal recipient with the highest GPA was Rabbia Hasan. The departing student with the highest GPA was Olivia Davis.

To view more photos from the scholarship reception, visit http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/13jcscholars^[2].

For information on the CSM Foundation and how to create or apply for a scholarship, visit http://www.csmd.edu/Foundation/^[3].

References

1. ^{^} larger rendition (www.flickr.com)
2. ^{^} http://csmphoto.zenfolio.com/13jcscholars (csmphoto.zenfolio.com)
3. ^{^} http://www.csmd.edu/Foundation/ (www.csmd.edu)