Growing up in the small, historic town of Idaho City, international travel seemed a distant dream for Natalie Miller. Through scholarship support and an engaging on-campus job at the Martin Institute, Natalie pursued those dreams, and then some. After studying agriculture and animal science for her first three years of college at BYU- Idaho, she transferred to the University of Idaho and pursued her passion for international studies. Natalie spent a semester abroad in Costa Rica thanks to three U of I donor-funded scholarships – the Kelli Schrand Helping Hand Scholarship Endowment, the Victor and Ruth Skiles Study Abroad Scholarship, and the Mike and Sharon Scott Endowment. This month she participated in the National Model United Nations in New York with support from the Scott Endowment. Natalie intends to support and encourage the next generation of students to pursue their goals and dreams through a U of I education. “I’m so pumped to graduate, and I can’t imagine having made it without the scholarships I’ve received,” Natalie said. “Now I can take my degree into the world and hopefully do some good. I want to take the lessons I’ve learned and give that to the next generation and be the support for them that I received through my college experience.” The Vandal Family has raised nearly $100 million for scholarships and student support through the Brave. Bold. campaign to give students like Natalie life-changing opportunities. Donor support also changes the game for faculty. Eric Wolbrecht was recently named the Dean and Cindy Haagenson Mechanical Engineering Endowed Professor. He works in U of I’s Assistive Robotics Laboratory developing cutting edge devices and teaming up with hospitals to improve rehabilitation and therapy for stroke survivors. “An endowment of this kind is a really powerful recruiting tool to continue our development of state-of-the-art research and to enable collaborations with other researchers in the state and across the country,” Wolbrecht said. “The University of Idaho can really elevate its reputation and the quality of its research.” The endowment also helps in recruiting highly qualified graduate students and talented undergrads. Wolbrecht knows it will take faculty, students, medical professionals and the generosity of donors to tackle the medical field’s challenges. “We can always achieve more together than we can individually,” Wolbrecht said. “This endowment is part of that legacy.” |