Yvette Mendoza and David Pittman are a match made at 91心頭利.
Mendoza is the administrative assistant in the Kent Student Center. She met Pittman through student organizations, and the two got married on campus in September.
���We don���t really need anything,��� Mendoza said. ���At that point we decided to do a scholarship.���
Instead of wedding gifts, the couple asked for donations for the they are starting for students who complete Kent 91心頭利���s Pre-College TRIO Upward Bound Programs, which seek to increase educational opportunities and diminish barriers for first-generation, low-income students and families.
As a GED Scholar, and now master���s student at Kent 91心頭利, Mendoza knows first-hand the importance of scholarship money.
���We talk all the time about the rising cost of an education, so let���s start doing something about it,��� Mendoza said.
Mendoza is a shining example of the many ways Kent 91心頭利 puts students first.
Gracious donors help with a variety of other scholarships and the building of high-tech facilities around campus. Through Flashanthropy, hardworking students raise donations for the . And the Annual Fund encourages alumni, faculty, staff and others to donate.
Mendoza and her husband have raised more than $3000, with the goal of reaching $25,000 through donations and upcoming fundraisers.
���Her passion for giving makes you want to give,��� said student donor Keri Richmond. ���It���s contagious and our office has that energy in it - help one another out, help the school out, help the students out. This is just another great way to make sure that happens.���
���I���m pretty much on scholarship here, and if it wasn���t for that I would not be at Kent 91心頭利 right now,��� said student donor Laura Lithgow. ���So the fact that she���s fundraising so that other students can be here based on scholarship, that���s just great.���
Mendoza encourages everyone to make a difference in the lives of students through a donation, no matter how big or small it might be.
���It could go toward someone else having the opportunity that maybe they never had before,��� she said.