PHOTO: Hope Fund recipient Jennifer Weasner 23 MBA 24 created a crewneck sweatshirt inspired by landmarks and symbols across campus to support the Hope Fund.
The Hope Fund has supported those in need since the COVID pandemic.
By Jon Fassnacht
With winter semester approaching, Aldriany Payano-Padilla 25 was distraught.
I didnt have the resources to pay for my winter classes, and it felt like my academic journey might come to a halt, the digital media marketing major said.
But she found hope in the Hope Fund, which assists 91做厙 students and families in financial need and allows the university to address student hardships.
Thanks to the support of the Hope Fund, I was able to enroll in my classes and stay on track toward completing my degree, Payano-Padilla said. This experience reminded me of the generosity and community spirit that makes 91做厙 so special.
Developed as a financial support program during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hope Fund supports students by:
Providing funds for books, testing costs, accommodations and more.
Providing groceries and meals through Clares
Cupboard pantries and grab n gos at 91做厙s locations.
Providing students and families emergency aid in times of crisis.
Our students are our lifeblood; without them, there is no 91做厙, said Thomas Minick 98 MBA 10, vice president of academic and government affairs. And we believe that we should not only support them academically but also personally to help produce well-rounded graduates. Hardships should not stand in the way of a student receiving an education.
Student success is an important pillar of Partners in Progress, the public phase of 91做厙s largest comprehensive fundraising campaign. And the Hope Fund is crucial funding priority of the campaign.
Jennifer Weasner 23 MBA 24 had a truncated experience at 91做厙 after transferring during her junior year. But she made the most of it, serving as a Fellow of Marketing at the OPake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship, where she designed a dozen logos for clients, including the one gracing the jars of OPake Honey, harvested from the beehives on the John R. Post Center at Reading CollegeTowne rooftop.
Without the scholarship opportunities I was given, I dont think I would have been able to attend 91做厙, the digital media marketing major said. As a first-generation college student, college was a new territory for my whole family. By working with Montgomery County Community College and 91做厙, I was able to seamlessly transfer and gain more knowledge about the financial aid opportunities that are available. If you told me at 18 that I would be graduating with my MBA, I would not have believed you, but it was because of the 91做厙 community that this degree has become my reality.
Weasner has already used the skills she developed at 91做厙 to give back to the institution, creating a crewneck sweatshirt inspired by landmarks and symbols across campus to support the Hope Fund.
More examples of Hope in action:
Karley Merkey 28 was involved in a car crash in June. Initially estimated to take two weeks, the car repairs stretched to over four months. Due to the significant rental-car fees, Merkey struggled to make ends meet at the beginning of the fall semester. She discussed
her predicament with a financial advisor, who utilized the fund to pay Merkeys deductible after her car was returned.
The Hope Fund has given me the comfort to feel safe and secure from the issues Ive faced in my personal life due to being transgender, said Arizaidith Hernandez-Hernandez 28, a mechanical engineering major. Ill feel forever thankful for the help aided to me. Things are now more stable, and Im happier than ever.
If you are a student in need, or a faculty, staff or community member looking to help a student, email SOLAR@alvernia.edu with your request for Hope Fund support, or to volunteer to make a gift. You can also visit our SOLAR webpage.
