[Dr. Marvin Hoffman] My first question to you would be what brought you to the University of Rochester?
[David Powell] My parents didn't go to college. During my white ceremony Dr. Hoffman
had actually met me in person. He reaffirmed my decision coming here
because Rochester has a huge sense of community. [Lila Balistrieri] I feel like I'm completely
able to embrace self-discovery. Everything from bio and chem labs to
anthropology and philosophy classes. [Josh Bullock] What drew me to Eastman? I thought the environment
here at Eastman was very, very welcoming. [ Gwendolyn Goodman] My favorite thing would be the healthy
competition because I know a lot of other schools it's just really cutthroat.
[Alyssa Carrizales] Well, there are two things that drew me to the Simon school and that was the
people and the analytical program. Everybody was super encouraging and just
you could see the mission and drive from everybody. So I knew I
wanted to be in that world. [Brett Crandall] What made you want to possibly pursue a career in
school counseling? [La'Ron White] I saw how important it was to be able to reach students on a
holistic level. A lot of our youth don't have many people that they can trust or
people that I believe in them. [Richard Killmer] Knowing the challenges in our profession, why
would anyone want to go to a music school and study the oboe? [Alexandra Lynch] I love the
opportunity to create art and I can't imagine myself doing anything else.
[Prof. Killmer] It's like a virus I think. We catch it and we can't get rid of it we must play music.
[Savannah Morehouse] One thing that put medicine in my mind from a very young age was my
grandmother. She was always this incredible caring presence.
If I was able to convey that to those patients in addition to providing care, I
just thought that that was the best impact that I could make. [Barbara Simms] I was amazed
what I saw when I actually experienced the team approach being in the hospital
with a very close friend for a good month last year. And that's why I decided
to have a scholarship for both nursing and medical students. [Tianna Negron] I love that they put
the care of the patient at the forefront. I think humanism in medicine is
super important. [Lauren] You really become a family with your class and with my
professors, and I just think that it enhances the collaborative environment
and I know that these people will be in my life forever. [Josh] Mr. Killmer why did you
start a scholarship and Eastman? [Prof. Killmer] It started with the scholarship in my
father's name. I put myself through school making oboe reeds at 22 and a half
cents of reed is what I got paid. That's why I made a hundred at a time. And I
realized how important that education was for me. If I'm able to help young
people and families, it seemed obvious that if I'm able to do that, I really must do it.
[Stephanie Parmeter] I wouldn't have been able to afford going to this school
otherwise. So I think the big difference is that I was able to go to my dream
school. Your support has made that possible. [Dr. Hoffman] I got as much out of it or more
than I put in. And again, it's been a real major part of my life has been the
scholarship. [Devins Panton] I always knew that I wanted something a little bit more than what I
was doing, but an MBA did not even cross my mind because of the expense.
Without Lance and Hope's generosity, I just would not be at Simon or any
business school as a matter of fact. [Alyssa] It does come with a certain responsibility
to one, give back later, but also to lead and the program that we're in right now
and to make sure that we're taking full advantage of the time because it's been
gifted to us. [La'Ron] In a sense, they had a belief or trust and confidence that I
would use their money to do something that they believed in, so that's a great honor for me.
[Brett] And it gave you an opportunity and you've made most of that opportunity. [La'Ron] I'm trying.
[Brandon] I remember the day that I got the scholarship, I burst into
tears I have never felt such a big relief off my shoulders. It just means
that like someone believes in me. [Arantza Romero] Yeah, I cried too. [laughter]
[Elisabeth Rott] I never thought that I would be this blessed or
fortunate, and Rich and Martha, just their emotional and financial support is
just incredible. [Bri Terrell] The reality for probably all of us was like, no scholarship, no college.
You know? So asking what the scholarship means is also asking like
"wow, what does it mean to have an entire college education and the future?"
[Cherine Ghouzani] Hashtag grateful. [laughter] [Brett] It's always nice to see former students first, be successful and
second, come back and impact where you came from. [La'Ron] You know that the kids can do
so much better than they show. And I think it was great that you picked the
right program for me to allow me to blossom into the person I am today.
[Barbara] Hearing from the both you, it just confirms what I'm doing is the right
thing in my heart and I will be there for you both.
[Tianna] It means the world. It really does. You've made a huge difference in my life and I
know that, it's really special. [Cherine] This scholarship enabled me not only to
come to the US, but also come to my dream school. [Benjamin Moskoff] It's made my MBA possible, my
dream to come to the US, and to make an impact. [Richard Chen] It's really helped shape the way
I approach healthcare. [Brian Stewart] It shows that there's people out there who care about
educating the next generation. [Andrew Thankson] I have met great and amazing people. People from all
over the world. [Prerana Bhattacharya] It's allowed me to pursue my passions. [Shah Choudury] When I think back that
somebody has done this for me, I want to pay it forward. [Arantza] It has allowed me to
not just think about myself and my future, but my global impact.