SCHOLARSHIP: I Am Because We Are

BY MEREDITH BOWER AND DANIELLE SCHOLLAERT

“I am because we are,” said alumna speaker Courtney Vaughn ’11 at the annual Scholarship Celebration. After pausing to let the words sink in, she asked the audience to say them with her. “I am because we are,” the more than 300 guests recited in unison.

“Yes, you are, because we all are,” Vaughn replied, adding, “McDonogh would not be what it is if it weren’t for every single person in this room.”

Speaking before the gathering of Upper School students, faculty, donors, and mentors, Vaughn, a member of the newly formed Alumni Scholarship Committee, told the crowd that when she was asked to speak, her memories of McDonogh ran through her mind like a movie montage. She recounted highlights from boarding the bus on her first day of school in first grade to the recent wedding of one of her best friends in Tagart Chapel. And she recalled a vivid memory of being in sixth grade and learning that she was a scholarship student. “Navigating a place that already felt awkward as one of a few Black students was hard, and now that was layered with socioeconomic status. I didn’t have the words then to describe exactly what was happening, but today I know that intersectionality was hard at play,” she said.

An Evolving Experience

The Scholarship Program has endured many iterations since its inception. While the core tenet “we give something more than we take’’ has remained the same, the format has varied. Driven by the desire to improve the student experience, the school’s Scholarship Committee— comprised of administrators and staff—has taken a look inward in order to further evolve.

The primary change, initiated in 2021, was taking a more engagement-based approach to the program. Each scholarship recipient is now paired with a mentor from the McDonogh community who believes deeply in student success and the opportunities that McDonogh offers. The Admissions and Philanthropy teams intentionally and thoughtfully make these matches based on shared interests with the goal of creating mutual and authentic connections. When the opportunity arose, Vaughn was eager to serve as a mentor.

Traditionally held in the spring, the Scholarship Celebration dinner shifted to the fall so students and their mentors could foster relationships early in the year. Holding the event on a Sunday evening rather than during the school day also allows for more time to socialize and get acquainted.

Additionally, an Alumni Scholarship Committee was created to support the ongoing work of the school. Vaughn has been thrilled to collaborate with fellow committee members Tom Dance ’66 and Kiernan Michau ’09 who are also scholarship alumni. “The goal is to connect different generations of scholarship students who are willing to listen and learn from each other,” Vaughn says. She says she appreciates Dance’s efforts to understand the post-2000 McDonogh experience. In fact, after comparing stories of their time at McDonogh almost 50 years apart, Vaughn says he has become somewhat of a mentor for her. “Hopefully, that’s how the cycle keeps going. Mentorship relationships can be back and forth over generations and time.”

New Format Well-Received

During the fall 2022 Scholarship Celebration dinner, Paterakis Hall buzzed with conversation. Vaughn and her mentee (both softball players) talked about sports, what school is like today, and the teachers they had in common. “I wanted to know everything,” Vaughn says with a laugh.

Feedback from the event and the move to the beginning of the year were positive. Scholarship Committee Chair Steve Birdsall says, “It has been rewarding to watch the student and mentor relationship blossom over a short amount of time, and it is exciting to know that these connections will only continue to flourish in the years ahead.”

Vaughn’s words at the podium during the celebration dinner reflected her hope. Referring to the African proverb, “I am because we are,” she concluded her remarks by saying, “The impact we have on each other goes far beyond this event.”

Then, before thanking the donors and mentors for their investment of time and resources, she addressed the students, saying, “I hope you will look back at your time at McDonogh in awe, with gratitude and pride for what you accomplished in this community, and how this campus shaped or is shaping you into the person you will become. And as you remember when, I hope you will never stop looking forward on the path that you have forged for yourself.”

STUDENT REFLECTS ON SCHOLARSHIP EXPERIENCE

ZACH HAYASHI ’23 , the student speaker at the fall Scholarship Celebration, shared how a change in his family’s circumstances when he was a freshman left him unsure of how to navigate his new status as a scholarship student. He added that he was lost when his freshman lacrosse season was canceled because of COVID, but Zach realized he wasn’t the only one. He recalls the seniors on the team telling the younger players to cherish their time and to value the relationships at McDonogh. Zach told the audience, “Seeing what the seniors lost led me to the following realization: I realized that I can’t take any day for granted, and there’s no shame in being different at McDonogh.” He explained that from that moment on, his self-confidence and his grades improved, and he was motivated to work out more and manage his time better.

“At that moment I felt that being a scholarship student was something I should be honored and proud of. It’s something that is unique to me and should be celebrated. It’s an opportunity.”

As he hit his stride over the next two years of Upper School, Zach recalled, “I felt confident and motivated.” During that time, he said he also began to really think about what the phrase “we give more than we take” really means.

He said, “After a lot of thought, I finally realized that throughout my McDonogh career I’ve taken so much. The lessons from teachers, administrators, and staff. The extracurricular opportunities. The amazing experiences with all of my coaches and teammates. The special bonds with all of the boarders and dorm parents. The support from the Learning Center. The relationships with my friends, teammates, and peers. The countless hours of help from Ms. Margraff on my college application. The generous donations from donors to the Scholarship Program. The relationships with all members of the McDonogh community. And last, but definitely not least, the gift of finding myself.”

He continued, “Giving back more than we take is what honors the ones who came before us and inspires the next generation. To me, this is what McDonogh is. Challenging yourself to leave it better than when you first came.”