The generosity of donors provides life-changing opportunities to students
Every student deserves the chance to pursue their educational dreams. At The Columbus Foundation, generous donors have established hundreds of scholarships, creating opportunities for high school and college students to achieve their educational goals and prepare them for future careers.
In 2022, thanks to the incredible support of donors, The Columbus Foundation awarded 1,664 scholarships totaling $4,147,180—a new single-year record.
“For many students, scholarships provide lifechanging opportunities,” said Alicia Szempruch, Associate Director for Scholarships at The Columbus Foundation. “We are grateful to our generous donors for making the dream of higher education a reality for students, empowering our next generation of educators, doctors, entrepreneurs, artists, and civic leaders.”
One such scholarship recipient is Malaysha Brunner, a Columbus native who is now studying secondary math education at Alabama State University. A graduate of Linden McKinley STEM Academy, Brunner received five scholarships from The Columbus Foundation last year thanks to the Jane Burns DeWitt Baumann Scholarship Fund, the James Preston Poindexter Scholarship Fund, the Easton Community Foundation Scholarship Fund, the Jayne Jakobsen Scholarship Fund, and the Vince Chickerella Scholarship Fund.
“These scholarships mean a lot to me,” said Brunner. “I see a lot of my peers who are in debt and it puts a lot of stress on them. I am grateful that I can just focus on school and not worry about going into debt.”
This year, more than 1,500 students have already applied for scholarships through The Columbus Foundation’s General Scholarship Application, which houses more than 100 scholarship opportunities. Over the coming months, scholarship selection committees will review applications and award scholarships.