Student to Donors: ‘You Changed My Future’

Two South Coast scholarship recipients share how donor generosity helped them pursue their dreams

Just weeks before beginning her freshman year at the University of Oregon, Luna Howard had a message for the donors who create scholarships for students like her.

“You are literally changing their future,” she said. “You changed my future.”

Luna never saw college as a realistic possibility because she experienced homelessness as a child.

“It was more like a dream I couldn't quite achieve,” she said. “But the summer of my junior year, I took a step forward and applied to every scholarship that I could.”

Luna Howard

Luna shared her story recently at a gathering in Coos Bay of Oregon Community Foundation donors, volunteers and South Coast community leaders. She was one of two students honored at the event, which celebrated the impact scholarships have on Oregon students and the generosity that makes them possible.

Originally from Alabama, Luna worked her way to graduate from North Bend High School and received both the YOU LEAD Scholarship and support from the Al and Hilda Peirce Charitable Trust Scholarship. This fall, she began studying biology in Eugene.

Joining Luna at the event was Kacen Wardel, a sophomore at Oregon State University, also studying biology, with plans to become a surgeon.

“When I found out I got the Jim Seeley Memorial Scholarship, it really shaped my path,” Kacen said. “I didn't even know what to think. My life had just changed.”

The Jim Seeley Memorial Scholarship was established by the Keiser family, administered in partnership with the Bandon Dunes Charitable Foundation, to honor the legacy of Jim Seeley, a respected South Coast leader known for his commitment to helping others succeed through education and service. Kacen said the scholarship allowed him to focus on his future.

Kacen Wardel

“Getting scholarships to help pay for college really lifted that burden and opened up doors for me where I didn't think it was possible,” he said. “I don't have to worry about money holding me back from gaining an education.”

For Matthew Goldfelder, OCF's Senior Program Officer for Scholarships and Postsecondary Success, meeting students like Luna and Kacen is a powerful reminder of what scholarship donors make possible.

“This is about Oregon’s future,” said Goldfelder. “Luna and Kacen, like so many other students, need some support now to pursue their dreams. And talking to them, they are such impressive individuals. They will become the future leaders that our communities need to thrive.”

OCF partners with the Office of Student Access and Completion, or OSAC, a state agency, to administer more than 650 scholarship funds. It’s one of the largest scholarship programs of its kind in the country.

Kacen said donors often do more than help students pay tuition.

“When you give back to a lot of these students, I think it really changes their perspective,” he said. “It gives them that little bit of hope for the future.”

And he said the impact extends beyond the individual recipient.

“You're not just changing life for the kid,” Kacen said. “You're really changing life for the family as well. Any amount helps because it really takes away that burden.”

For Luna, the support has meant more than financial assistance.

“It gives me confidence that people in my community have confidence in me,” she said. “They see that I have something valuable to give and keep building on. And that makes me want to work so hard for everybody. I want to show that the donors' generosity is paying out, and I really appreciate it.”