Celebrating hope and resilience during virtual “Giving Thanks for Scholarships” event

“Thank you for your support and generosity. It means the world to us. Thank you for prioritizing college students and thinking about our needs, and finally, thank you for changing our lives for the better and helping us make higher education an achievable goal.” –Lara Boudinot, student speaker, sophomore in Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Giving Thanks for Scholarships is the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences’ annual stewardship event bringing together scholarship donors and the students they support. This year’s theme for the virtual event was “Heart to Heart: Celebrating Hope and Resilience,” and featured remarks from student scholarship recipients, a scholarship donor and CFANS Dean Brian Buhr.

Emcee Adam Nance, chief development officer for CFANS, opened the evening with a heartfelt message to students: “The donors here tonight have made investments in you, sight unseen, because they believe that you matter. Your family matters. What you do with your life and education matters.”

Dean Buhr spoke to the virtual audience of more than 130 scholarship donors, student scholarship recipients, faculty members and staff. 

“We're pleased that we could be here, virtually with each other, and celebrate both our students and their supporters and donors who have contributed to their success,” Dean Buhr said.

Dean Buhr read aloud part of a letter from Haley, a freshman in CFANS, who wrote of her experience during a difficult past year in college. Haley wrote, “In the midst of challenging adversity, we take advantage of new opportunities presented and position ourselves to bounce back.”

Maryam Salad, a senior studying Applied Economics with a minor in Sustainability Studies, shared pre-recorded remarks with a special message to scholarship donors: “Thank you for having our backs. Thank you for contributing. Thank you for everything.”

Lara Boudinot, a sophomore studying Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology also pre-recorded remarks, from her exchange program site in Hawaii. She shared her story of overcoming adversity to attend college, and how scholarship funds have helped make it possible.

Donor and alumnus speaker Dennis Johnson '71 B.S. Agricultural Economics, '73 M.S. Agricultural Economics, shared why he and his wife Vicki support CFANS students through scholarships.

“We feel very grateful that we’re able to make a contribution to students today and into the future, and people who are going to help change this world and make it better for everybody to live in it. That, I think, is what education and the University is all about,” Dennis said.

Thank you to all of our scholarship donors. Your generosity makes it possible for highly-qualified students, from all backgrounds, to come to the University of Minnesota and pursue their dreams. Thank you for making a difference in their lives—and through them, the world. 

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about supporting CFANS student scholarships, please contact Heather James at james932@umn.edu or 612-624-4285.