Scholarships help students’ dreams come true. For many students, scholarships unlock doors to academic and professional opportunities, and also serve as inspiring and empowering affirmations of their potential.
By investing in scholarships at Syracuse University, donors are sowing the seeds of transformation: They nurture scholars who will go on to make meaningful contributions to society, and they foster a culture of accessibility and excellence in education.
Enabled To Expand
College of Visual and Performing Arts student Jae Bin Lee ’24 came from Seoul, South Korea, to study environmental and interior design. At Syracuse, he was able to expand his education with two minors—architecture, through the School of Architecture, and information technology, design and startups, through the School of Information Studies—and access funding that enabled him to delve into real-world research.
With a fellowship from the Syracuse Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Engagement (SOURCE), Lee led a team of fellow students on a study of post-pandemic workspace environments in a range of cities across the United States. Their research was recently submitted for publication, and Lee’s successes at Syracuse earned him entry into a master’s program in architecture at the University of Southern California. “I am grateful for the donor support that helped me get so much out of my Syracuse experience,” he says.
Empowered To Explore
For Kaila Hart ’25, a political philosophy major in the College of Arts and Sciences, scholarships and grants have meant she’s been able to devote herself to her studies and take advantage of opportunities to expand her horizons in the classroom and beyond. “I have been able to do so many things that might have been out of reach if I wasn’t part of scholarship programs,” she explains.
Hart, whose funding support includes the Yellow Ribbon Program, a post-9/11 GI Bill initiative administered through the University’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs, spent her first semester in Madrid, Spain, as part of the Discovery program, and later studied in Italy at the Syracuse Florence center. These experiences bolstered her confidence in her ability to navigate change and are emblematic of the broad-reaching education she’s pursued at Syracuse. “At Syracuse I’ve realized I can do more with my life,” she says, “and there are greater pathways and greater destinations that I'm able to go to.”
Inspired To Engage
Kyle Henry ’26 traces his interest in art to his grandparents—both of whom worked in renowned New York City museums and filled their home with art. Now an art history major in the College of Arts and Sciences, Henry feels he is not only carrying on his family’s legacy, but has found his place in the Orange family, too. “At Syracuse, orange means more than a color. It’s an embodiment of a sense of community,” Henry says.
Henry’s scholarships and awards have allowed him to discover his academic potential, and he puts this into practice through involvement with the Syracuse University Art Museum. The museum, Henry says, showcases the power of the Syracuse community. “It’s open to everyone, and it brings everyone—faculty, staff, students, alumni—together. At the museum you can really see how much the Syracuse connection means to people,” he explains. This is a connection that alumni giving fosters as well, he says. “If I could thank a donor, I’d say thank you for the experiences—and thank you for building this community.”
