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The ������ Foundation proudly hosted the annual Scholarship Awards Banquet for the 2019-2020 academic year Saturday, Oct. 19 at the Klamath Falls campus. Thanks to the generosity of both individuals and organizations, the ������ Foundation awarded a record $845,000 in scholarships for this academic year. The evening is the highlight of the year for students and scholarship supporters alike in this unique opportunity to meet each other and become acquainted.

Each year the ������ Foundation invites scholarship recipients to speak to the banquet attendees about their opportunity to earn an ������ degree and what receiving a scholarship has meant to them. This year’s speakers delivered heartfelt messages about how the scholarships they were awarded are making a difference in their lives and toward their educational aspirations.

Senior Dominic Meads conveyed his appreciation for his scholarship, and spoke of overcoming personal hardship as a student, “This spring, I was awarded the William A. Olson Scholarship for Excellence in Environmental Science. I was flooded with relief, thankful that someone believed in me. Life happens, to all of us. In this room are single parents, full-time students who have full-time jobs, veterans, people with adversity, setbacks and challenges. The ������ Foundation offers us the opportunity to achieve a higher education and succeed in the professional world, despite the hardships we face. And it provides something else: hope.” Dominic is a dual major student in Renewable Energy Engineering and Environmental Sciences.

At the event, ������ president, Dr. Nagi Naganathan expressed his pride in the scholarship program, which he stated, “has been nurtured and has grown over the years through the tireless advocacy and guidance of the ������ Foundation, led by our scholarship committee.” Dr. Naganathan recognized several groups of attendees for their efforts as part of the “small army” of dedicated individuals that it takes to successfully run the scholarship program – including donors, volunteer readers, and ������ Foundation board members.

This year’s banquet was made possible in part by generous sponsorships from community partners, which include Sky Lakes Medical Center, IMS Capital Management, Inc., Smith Bates Marcomm Solutions, Fisher Nicholson Realty and US Bank. “We are grateful for the continued support of our community partners that make such celebrations possible,” Dr. Naganathan added.

The ������ Foundation was established in 1969 to support the educational, cultural, charitable, and service activities of ������, and is proudly celebrating 50 years of philanthropic impact this year.

To learn more about how you can support students at ������, contact Tracy Ricketts, associate vice president for Development and Alumni Relations, at 541.885.1118 or Tracy.Ricketts@oit.edu.

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