UVM will help shape the future
The University of Vermont is preparing the leaders of tomorrow—the thinkers, scientists, educators, engineers, healthcare providers, farmers, entrepreneurs, and artists who will guide our communities through the complex challenges of the years to come.
This is why UVM has launched SOAR, a $150 million fundraising campaign to support the success of a diverse, engaged body of outstanding students through financial aid, extracurricular programs, and experiential learning.
Join us today — as UVM shapes tomorrow.
SOAR: The Campaign for Student Success at UVM
Why we’re here: Students
Students are at the heart of virtually everything we do here at UVM, and nothing is more important than giving them a high-value educational experience and setting them on the road to success. By supporting SOAR, you make it easier for every student to have the fullest and most rewarding experience possible.
More scholarships mean more bright, engaged students focused on their education—not on whether they can make next semester’s tuition or rent payment. More extracurricular programs mean more students exploring their passions and becoming who they are meant to be. More experiential learning means more students having hands-on internships and experiences that prepare them for their careers. Philanthropic support for SOAR means more learning, creativity, ideas, innovation, growth, camaraderie, fun… more of what makes UVM the amazing place it is.
By investing in the SOAR campaign you will open the door to life-changing opportunities at UVM and tell students that they are valued and important members of the UVM community. Giving to SOAR tells students, “I believe in you” and “I want you to have the best UVM experience possible.”
You can help our students SOAR.
The future we shape
A UVM education provides students the opportunity to improve their lives, the lives of their families, and the lives in their communities. With our help, excellent students from all backgrounds are empowered to pursue their passions and prepare themselves to lead productive and consequential lives. SOAR campaign support enhances opportunities for students all across UVM through three interconnected avenues:
Why We’re Here
Accessibility & Affordability
UVM is increasing accessibility and affordability on many fronts to help students realize the benefits of higher education. From freezing tuition for four straight years, to enhancing efforts to retain and recruit students from historically underrepresented groups, to promoting programs that support first-generation college attendees, SOAR will help ensure that students of all backgrounds can thrive at UVM.
Student Showcase
Serving Others:
Jhaimy Fernandez, MD’21
Jhaimy has always known she wanted to become a doctor… →
Serving Others:
Jhaimy Fernandez, MD’21
Jhaimy Fernandez, MD’21, recipient of the William C. Street, MD’59 and Lorraine Hassan-Street Endowed Scholarship Fund, has always known she wanted to become a doctor. She spent her four years at UVM thinking of ways to bring innovation to the healthcare field, and to use creative practices to make medical care more just and equitable for all patients. “Growing up in inner city Los Angeles, I learned that our healthcare system can be unfair to many,” says Jhaimy. “In medical school, I discovered design thinking. Now, as an aspiring primary care physician, I look forward to using my strengths to help my future patients manage their chronic diseases in a way that works for them.”
Student Snapshots
Taking the Stage:
Riley Mulroy ’22
Taking the Stage:
Riley Mulroy ’22
Riley Mulroy ’22, from Walpole, Massachusetts, is spending his time in the UVM Department of Theatre preparing for his final act, so to speak. He has an ambitious 40-year plan that includes one day owning and operating his own theater with a successful production company. As he hones his stage management chops alongside some outstanding faculty mentors, he is grateful for the ways that alumni and friends support students in the arts. As a triplet with three other siblings in college, he is paying his own way at UVM. “These scholarships mean a lot,” he says. “It really proves that I’m meant to be here. It gives me more self-confidence to do what I’m doing.” Riley is a recipient of the Brennan Family Scholarship and the inaugural recipient of the GlasGalahad Arts Scholarship.
Dreaming Big:
Bidhya Chamlagai ’21
Dreaming Big:
Bidhya Chamlagai ’21
Bidhya Chamlagai ’21, recipient of the George Henderson Scholarship and the Bain Family Endowed Scholarship Fund, would not be attending UVM without her scholarships. Her childhood taught her to dream big. She came to the United States with her family from a refugee camp in Nepal. They settled in Burlington and, like many families who have had to start over, it took a while for them to get on their feet. The first woman in her family to attend college, Bidhya was acutely aware of what an amazing opportunity she had. And she made the most of her time at the College of Nursing and Health Sciences because of that.
Why We’re Here
Extracurricular Programs
No vision of student success is complete without understanding that huge amounts of learning and growth take place in extracurricular environments. UVM has scores of clubs, committees, teams, and ensembles that support the physical, mental, and social wellbeing of our students—and create spaces for friendships, skills, and interests to flower.
Student Showcase
Athletic Achievement:
Ben Ogden ’22
Ben brought home gold for UVM in the ten-kilometer freestyle race… →
Athletic Achievement:
Ben Ogden ’22
In March 2020, Ben Ogden ’22 brought home gold for UVM in the ten-kilometer freestyle race at the NCAA National Skiing Championships. The standout counts the win as one of his proudest achievements at UVM—but good grades in thermodynamics aren’t far behind. It’s taken serious physical stamina and brainpower to keep up with both skiing and his mechanical engineering classes. Ogden says he’s humbled by the support he’s received from the Daigle Ski Scholarship. “I hope they take personal pride in the things that I’ve been able to accomplish,” he says. Ben is the inaugural recipient of the David and Beth Daigle Ski Scholarship.
Student Snapshots
New Possibilities:
Sophia Thurau-Gray ’20
New Possibilities:
Sophia Thurau-Gray ’20
For Sophia Thurau-Gray ’20, scholarship support not only helped provide access to UVM, but enriched her journey, too. Thanks to donors, she had the freedom to get deeply involved helping individuals with disabilities. Sophia came to UVM because of the beauty of Vermont, and because of the support she would receive through scholarships. Through the Young Athletes program at Vermont Special Olympics and a UVM program for college-age students with disabilities called Think College, she had some of her most rewarding UVM experiences. As someone in the social work field, these opportunities served as valuable career experience, as well. Sophia—like many, many other students—benefited from gifts to the UVM Scholarship Fund.
Getting Outside:
UVM Student Life Outdoor Programs
Getting Outside:
UVM Student Life Outdoor Programs
From earning their turns by hiking up a backcountry ski hill to paddling through lakes and down rapids, UVM’s trips, leadership programs, and courses help give students a larger perspective about their opportunities here in Vermont and elsewhere. Outdoor programs give students the tools to develop a holistic approach to a life well lived, to engage their campus and their communities with events, and to build a lasting network with their peers.
Why We’re Here
Experiential Learning
Access to experiential learning during their education allows students to see Vermont and the world more fully—and prepare for their careers more effectively. With greater access to the unique possibilities of a UVM education, more students are able to pursue the areas they are passionate about, and prepare to hit the ground running when they graduate.
Student Showcase
Global Opportunity:
Micayla Nadeau-Williams ’22
Micayla spent a week in South America in early 2020… →
Global Opportunity:
Micayla Nadeau-Williams ’22
Sociology and economics major Micayla Nadeau-Williams ’22, recipient of the Cultural Diversity Scholarship, spent a week in South America in early 2020 as part of a Gender Sustainability and Development in Ecuador class. The trip took her and her classmates across the country, from the bustling capital city of Quito to the cloud forest of Yunguilla in the high mountains. Nadeau-Williams studied gender rights and the roles of women within Ecuadorian culture, in both city-dwelling women and among smaller, indigenous communities. The future lawyer says the learning experience was also a feast for the senses, and she was enthralled with the beautiful, sometimes rugged terrain, the ornate statuary of the churches, the hand-made tapestries and leather goods, and the wide array of fruit she sampled in local markets.
Student Snapshots
Vocations in Vermont:
The Green Mountain Internship Program
Vocations in Vermont:
The Green Mountain Internship Program
Through internship experiences in Vermont, students can gain important professional experience, make connections, and get a jump on their careers. Employers benefit from mentoring talented, energetic students who may eventually become their employees. Perhaps most importantly, the state of Vermont benefits from connecting young job-seekers with companies who need great employees – keeping them in Vermont.
Time Well Spent:
Adam Babb ’21
Time Well Spent:
Adam Babb ’21
Entrepreneur and business administration major Adam Babb ’21, recipient of the ICSC Foundation Ifshin Family Real Estate Scholarship, spent his UVM summers plying the waters of Lake Bomoseen in Rutland County, Vermont, in a classroom on pontoons. The owner and operator of Ice Cream Float served up frozen sweet treats to a growing following of customers. The boat, which he purchased with money he’d earned helping his parents renovate and resell houses, required some capital investments right off the bat, including a full refurbishment and a new freezer to safeguard his inventory. Babb says the experience taught him a lot about business, and with the extra time that scholarship support provided, he was able to plan for what comes next.
Now is the time to SOAR
UVM is deeply committed to empowering excellent students from all backgrounds to pursue their passions and prepare themselves to lead productive and consequential lives.
Your gift to this campaign will achieve many benefits at once:
Join us today…as we shape tomorrow.
Suresh Garimella
President, University of Vermont
For more information, contact The UVM Foundation at (802) 656-0518.