Fordham celebrated its rich tradition of making education accessible to those who struggle to afford it at the April 23 Scholarship Donors and Recipients Reception.

Megan Harries, FCLC ’12, (above) a Clare Boothe Luce scholar, thanked scholarship donors for supporting Fordham students.Harries received a congratulatory handshake (below) from Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham.
Photos by Chris Taggart

The annual event, held at Midtown Manhattan’s University Club, is an opportunity for Fordham students to meet their donors and express their gratitude. For many students, the impact of their scholarships was truly life-changing.

“If it weren’t for my scholarship, I wouldn’t have been able to be here at Fordham,” said Peter Sanneman, FCRH ‘12, recipient of a presidential scholarship.

Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, reminded donors that just as they play a significant role in helping students on their academic journey, they also share in celebrating their successes.

“Every Fordham graduation is a shared graduation, amongst the students one to another and amongst the parents,” he said. “And every graduation is also shared with our donors.”

Megan Harries, FCLC ‘12, spoke on behalf of the student scholarship recipients. She said she had been consistently surprised by the opportunities open to her since she became a Clare Boothe Luce Scholar.
Harries applied for a research position at the National Institute for Standards and Technology during the summer of 2011, but was denied because Fordham had never placed a student there before. When she shared that she was a Clare Boothe Luce Scholar, NIST immediately welcomed her to the program.

“That was when I knew that prestigious scholarships are about more than just money,” she said. “The intangible part of a scholarship is how it becomes a built-in vote of confidence for the person.”

For Clara Ennist, FCRH ‘12, the opportunity to meet the individuals behind her scholarship was particularly moving this year.

Ennist is the recipient of a scholarship named in honor of Roy E. Haviland, CAB ‘69. Haviland was killed in the war in Vietnam. His classmate James P. Flaherty, FCRH ’69, PAR ’00, ’02, established the award in his honor.

Earlier this year, Haviland’s sister Dorene Prinzo became aware of the scholarship when a family member saw an item about it in the news. Prinzo and her three daughters, whose uncle died before they were born, attended this year’s event and met many of Haviland’s Fordham classmates for the first time. Ennist said she was deeply touched by the opportunity to meet the family of the man whose heroism her scholarship honors.

“This was someone who touched their lives so much that they established a scholarship in his name. Roy Haviland truly embodied the ideals of Fordham,” she said.

While students were grateful for the opportunity to meet their donors, donors said it was equally meaningful for them to meet the recipients of the scholarships they had worked to create.

Pasqua Hogan, UGE ’59, GSE ’62 said she loved meeting the students helped by the scholarship she funds through the Fordham University Club of Long Island.

“It’s an honor for us to see the members of the next generations of Fordham University,” Hogan said.

Eugenie Doyle, MC ‘43, benefactor of the Eugenie F. Doyle, M.D., and Joseph A. Doyle, Esq., Endowed Scholarship Fund, said she created the award to help ease the financial burden of students pursuing a career in medicine.

Doyle said it had been gratifying for her to meet the students her scholarship has funded over the years.
“It’s really a joy to have the opportunity to meet the people who benefit from the fund,” she said. “There is nothing more important than benefiting scholarship.”