Student & Donor Stories

Hear from Makayla

All it takes is one generous person to help a whole family. My scholarship changed the direction of my life and it's all because of donors." Read Makayla's full story

Hear from Devaughn

For many students, college is a decision of financial means, not drive and desire. After discovering Northern Kentucky University's HAILE College of Business, Devaughn knew where he needed to be...

Hear from Dana

Returning to school with a family can create a stressful financial climate. Scholarships allow students to focus on their studies, and the relationships they build through coursework, without worry for maintaining household needs...

Hear from Amari, Noah and Wendi

For students like Amari and Wendi, offices in the Center for Student Inclusiveness provide space to express themselves, learn to lead and teach others about their cultures. FUEL NKU and UCAP allow Noah to focus on his passion for vocal performance and share his talent with his community. Amari, Wendi and Noah are three of 16,000 students at NKU who are empowered through donor-supported programs to live meaningful lives…

Read Aicha's Story

University Connect and Persist (UCAP) Textbook Lending at Steely Library provides retention scholarships to students facing economic hardships, loans required textbooks through the Lending Library and supports students with academic and financial success planning. In the 2020-21 academic year, UCAP helped over 970 students like Aicha find success at NKU…

Read Shabnam's Story

Each year, thousands of students come to NKU to pursue their dreams. In the 2020-21 academic year, loyal donors made this possible for more than 750 students, providing over $2.5 million in donor-funded scholarships. These are students like Shabnam, who came to NKU to follow her passion for helping others…

Read Amanda's Story

It takes the average NKU student-parent nearly six and a half years to complete their bachelor’s degree. These additional years spent working toward their degree mean that the availability of federal student aid begins to wane. Resources like the Office of Parents Attending College can help connect student parents with programs and funding opportunities to ensure their continued success.

Read Mason's Story

The Office of Institutional Research reports that 90 percent of NKU undergraduate students lived off-campus or commuted during the 2020-2021 academic year. This choice can help alleviate the cost of tuition, but it is often still not enough. Donor-funded scholarships help close the education gap and positively impact students like Mason.

Read Noah's Story

FUEL NKU provides fresh food and toiletries to students so they can focus on their courses instead of where they will find their next meal. During the 2020-21 academic year, FUEL NKU provided over 46,800 pounds of food and toiletries to students like Noah…

Read Lauren's Story

To say that Lauren Goodwin is an outstanding student is an understatement. Over the past four years, her achievements are a trifecta featuring academic success, on-campus leadership, and advocacy for her peers. Lauren is honored to have her work, often conducted behind the scenes, recognized by the NKU Foundation Student Leadership Award. “I tend to like to work in the background ... I like to do things and don’t necessarily care about getting the recognition for it … receiving it [NKU Foundation Student Leadership Award] was cool, and it humbled me knowing that people appreciated what I was doing.”

Dr. Russell Proctor Endowed Scholarship for Communication Studies and Public Relations

Dr. Russell F. Proctor II believes people learn best in relationships and hopes the recipients of his scholarship will go on to become engaged alumni who champion and give back to their alma mater.

Appalachian Scholarship: A Redefining Opportunity

Nathan Smith wants to help students from all walks of life achieve their educational and professional goals.

Dr. Laura Trice & Dr. Larry Giesmann

In 1989, women with already established careers were not generally encouraged to attend medical school. But, Laura Trice, MD, a single mother of three and a nurse of 15 years, dreamed of becoming a physician. Dr. Trice decided to take science classes at NKU in preparation for medical school, all while working two 16 hour shifts at Jewish Hospital on the weekends. “I think the theory, at that time, was that if you were already a nurse, you should stay a nurse. I wouldn’t have considered myself a risk-taker until that point in my life.” Dr. Trice says.

Christian Michael Thomas

““For a while, all we were doing was grieving. And suddenly we have something to rally around—something that keeps Christian’s memory alive.” Christian Michael Thomas was killed in a car accident, but his family is keeping his memory alive every day through a scholarship at Northern Kentucky University. The Christian Michael Thomas Memorial Scholarship is specifically for students in the College of Informatics, where Christian was a computer science major.

Dr. Jerry Warner

“This scholarship is for the students who haven’t been superstars. They’re capable, but they just don’t know it yet. I hope I give them an opportunity to grow.” When Jerry Warner, Ph.D, thinks about his first winter in Highland Heights 40 years ago, he remembers that the windows on his house had as much ice on the inside of the panes as the outside...