Larry Marshall, BS ’22

Shaping futures through the Prison Education Project at University College When we first met Larry Marshall, BS ’22, he spoke at his commencement ceremony from inside the walls of Missouri Eastern Correctional Center in Pacific, Mo. In his speech, he said, “We are told that we are our mistakes. … But being part of WashU […]

WashU Giving Day 2023 digital shield logo

Get ready for WashU Giving Day!

Washington University will celebrate its first university-wide Giving Day on April 19, 2023. This special 24-hour fundraising blitz aims to rally the collective strength of WashU alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends in support of the university’s mission.  Advancing innovative research. Paying it forward to current scholarship students. Commemorating the place you met your favorite […]

Creating a domino effect

Omar Abdelaziz, BSBA ’18, planned to follow in his family’s footsteps and study finance and accounting at Olin Business School. But after encouragement from members of his business fraternity, he enrolled in an introductory computer science course at the McKelvey School of Engineering. Abdelaziz was hooked and decided to double major in business administration and […]

Fundraising update

We are pleased to share the latest fundraising progress for Make Way: Our Student Initiative. This initiative publicly launched on October 6, 2022, and gifts for Make Way’s top priorities since January 1, 2019 are included in the totals.

Stephanie Mbida, MBA Class of 2023

Stephanie Mbida leads no ordinary life. At age 14, she had already graduated high school and would spend the next four years of her life traveling her parents’ home country of Cameroon to advise world leaders on social issues. Prior to this, the Olin Business School MBA candidate says “New York was all [she] knew,” […]

Tips for sharing your own Make Way story

Why do you believe it is mission critical for WashU to increase scholarships and funding for student support? Perhaps you received financial aid or benefitted from career services? Or maybe you wish offerings for student success had been more robust while you were a student. Sharing your own story—and sharing your motivation to support Make […]

The impact of my scholarship: Carrie A. Johnson, AR ’89

I received a full scholarship to Washington University, and that gift changed my life. I recognize and appreciate it every day. My time at WashU ignited my intellectual curiosity. I was surrounded by people who loved learning, and I discovered new ways of thinking. Those experiences laid the foundation for my career and inspired my […]

A message from our co-chairs

Dear friends, We are thrilled to serve as co-chairs of Make Way: Our Student Initiative. While we come from different backgrounds, studied different fields, and pursued different careers, we join together in our passion for the life-changing experience we all had as WashU students. We are who we are today, in part, because of WashU. […]

Jennifer Dionne, BS ’03, BS ’03

At the age of eight, Jennifer Dionne planned to pursue a career in the paranormal. An avid fan of the X-files, she aspired to be an investigator—an Agent Scully—uncovering clues and unpacking supernatural mysteries. Raised as an only child in Rhode Island, Jen had great freedom to indulge her inquisitive inclinations. Her mother, a nurse, […]

Leah Nason, MSW/MPH Class of 2023

Leah Nason resolved to turn her burgeoning passion for public health into a career after witnessing an inspiring collaboration between public health practitioners and social workers during an undergraduate internship. While working for Action for a Better Community in Rochester, N.Y, she saw what was possible when professionals across the system pooled their expertise and […]