The “Every Gift Matters—the Scholarship Campaign” helps students to continue their education both in and out of the classroom while also being able to gain experiences they wouldn’t otherwise have had. Student-athlete Lake Porter of Charlston, W.Va., said scholarships give her a sense of relief knowing she is taken care of and can focus on her academics.
A double major in marketing and accounting and a member of the Women’s Soccer Team, Porter said receiving a scholarship is the same as hearing someone is betting on her to become successful.
“It’s like receiving a key tool that will help you with this journey. Scholarships mean everything, I set out on a journey at 8 years old to get a scholarship to help me have a ticket to education,” she said. “It’s given my mom peace of mind knowing that I’m taken care of here and I can’t wait until the day I have a diploma in my hand and my mom in the other, I owe that all to the scholarships I received from Fairmont State University.”
Porter is on the Student Leadership Board for the School of Business and a member of Team Impact. Over the next few years she hopes to join more clubs with focuses on business and entrepreneurship.
“My scholarships are proof that hard work and staying focused may be rewarded. They give me a certain drive on the field and in the classroom to make sure that I maintain the requirements necessary to keep them,” she said. “This blessing has also given me responsibilities that I think have helped shaped me into a person my parents, siblings, mentors, and coaches can be proud of.”
To be given the opportunity to attend Fairmont State through the ticket of a sport she loves and the emphasis donors have put on the importance of a college education, Porter said is one of the things she is so grateful for.
“We are treated like family members here. I have never stepped into a room full of students and staff members where I have felt unwelcome. The range of diversity is refreshing,” she said. “It’s incredibly easy to learn something new every day, whether it be in the classroom, while meeting new people, or even finding out something about yourself. This is the best time.”
Porter enjoys being surrounded by people who are on a mission to achieve their dreams just like she is and that the best part is the professors and staff on campus help them to do just that.
“When you donate to Fairmont State University, you can rest assured that your donation is being used to help a kid turn their dreams into a reality,” she said. “There are some students here are the very first in their families to attend college, and you can know that you have helped that student make history.”
Anyone interested in supporting current and future Falcons through a gift for “Every Gift Matters—the Scholarship Campaign” can visit www.fairmontstate.edu/egmscholarship. Gifts can also be made directly with the Foundation by calling (304) 534-8786.
