Opportunity knocks

VCU grants greater access to the fulfillment of the American dream through scholarships

When high school teacher Carmen Glass was told by school administrators she had to acquire a bachelor’s degree to keep her job, the cards were stacked against her. With two teenage daughters ready to attend college and a newly unemployed husband, money was tight for the Colombian immigrant and her family.

So when Glass, 51, received the Yvonne Engleson Rodriguez Benner Scholarship, she said it was life-changing. Initially dependent on loans to afford full-time tuition, Glass said the scholarship helped lighten her financial burden and made it possible for her to afford to go to graduate school.

“I am delighted to be part of an institution where its people use their blessings to finance the training of one person so he or she can reach out to dozens or hundreds that they cannot personally help,” Glass said. “This diploma is going to unlock the doors to those places and opportunities which were once impossible to me.”

Family and friends established the scholarship in memory of Benner, an active and admired member of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Board of Visitors, who passed away in August 2001. The scholarship is one of 250 endowed scholarships established during the Campaign for VCU.

Awarded based on need to a merit-worthy student majoring in journalism, government, English, Latin American studies, international affairs or a related field, the partial scholarship can be renewed for an additional three years.

Glass, who graduated in May with a degree in Spanish, hopes to pursue her master’s degree in social work once she has finished paying back the loans she took out to supplement her scholarship support. She said she wants to encourage young people to take a more active stance on social work in their local communities.

“One of the greatest dreams of my life is to teach and inspire young people to find their place in society by discovering their identities and fulfilling their dreams in this life,” Glass said.

Glass, who also works as an academic adviser at the School of World Studies, said VCU students have a great responsibility to effect change in local school systems. By interacting with younger students and showing them the importance of education, college students will encourage more inner-city kids to make better choices, she said.

Stephen D. Gottfredson, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs, said VCU has established itself as a university that gives students of all socioeconomic backgrounds the opportunity to succeed in an accessible and affordable way.

“For years, VCU maintained a mission of affordability,” Gottfredson said. “That’s an important part of who we are … any student of promise can seize the opportunity we’ve provided and achieve the dream that can be realized through the completion of a college education.”