Presentation of the Student Gift

Sunday, May 26, 2019
by Kristin Collett Caolo ’19 and Cody Dwayne Harmon ’19

Kristin:

President Bradley, Trustees, Faculty, friends, family and the incredible class of 2019:

Cody:

Hello to all you beautiful souls seated in the seats here, standing in the crowd, and watching in the comfort of your homes.

Kristin:

First, we would like to congratulate the Class of 2019 on their amazing accomplishments here at Vassar College. We are honored to stand before you today to speak about the Senior Gift. Vassar’s longstanding tradition of philanthropy has seen decades of seniors, along with alumni, parents, and friends generously contribute to the Senior Gift.

Cody:

We are here to celebrate each of you for your selfless devotion to giving that reflects great credit upon yourselves, your families, and the traditions of an institution like Vassar College. Giving to and for a cause can be a sensitive action. By giving, we tend to go through many feelings - sacrifice, skepticism, sincerity... But through these emotions, each of us understands the greater good.

Kristin:

This year, the Senior Gift is a Class of 2019 Scholarship that will go to a member of the incoming class of 2023, solidifying our commitment to need-blind admission and financial aid. We are excited to announce that together, we raised $12,263 for the Class of 2019 Scholarship Fund, with gifts coming from over 18% of the senior class.

Your generosity and thought behind each gift allows us to leave a wonderful legacy with a commitment to financial aid that will leave a meaningful impact on the generations of Vassar students that follow.

We want to extend our deepest gratitude, as this would not be possible without each of us sharing in the commitment to make college accessible to all. Additionally, 203 Seniors gave to any source on campus, not just our scholarship fund, representing over 32% of our class. The generosity of our class is truly astounding!

Cody:

As we stand before you, one first-generation nontraditional student and one legacy student, we know that someone from the Class of 2023 will benefit from each of our efforts which have contributed to rid ourselves of cost barriers associated with higher education. Let’s make a commitment to continue giving for the betterment of the future and to allow future generations the opportunity to receive an amazing education.

Congratulations again to us, the Class of 2019, and we wish all of you the best of luck in your future endeavors. Go forth and show the world what amazing people you have already proven yourselves to be.

Together:

Thank you