WCS ALUMNI ENDOWMENT FUND 30 YEARS

By Katie Leiding ’04

In 1994, the Alumni Board wanted to give Collegiate a special gift, worthy of 30 years of educating children.

They decided to create the WCS Alumni Endowment Fund. This fund grows year by year, and a percentage of the earnings are invested in qualified students who bring a desire to learn and a willingness to work hard, through our indexed tuition program.

Ensuring qualified students can attend Collegiate, regardless of their finances, has been an important part of Collegiate’s identity throughout our 60 years. By creating an endowment with this focus, they ensured this core value could carry on in perpetuity. They believed these students completed our community in a way that reflects not just our mission, but also represents our vibrant city and added to the overall student experience, preparing all our students for college and life.

Only four employees at Collegiate ever know who the beneficiaries of indexed tuition are, and we take our students’ privacy and dignity very seriously. However, there have been students over the years who feel comfortable sharing how they benefited from this support, including Askia Ahmad, class of 1996. His openness actually helped inspire the Alumni Board to create this incredible legacy for our school!

Joe Rothwell ‘70 was the Alumni Board President at the time of its creation. He recalls being personally inspired by Askia from the moment he stepped foot on campus. “Askia was instantly a Spartan, and we could all see the impact he was having on our community,” Joe says. “He fit so perfectly, and yet, he was a trailblazer in a lot of ways, too.

We felt like there was no greater gift the Alumni Board could give to Collegiate than to ensure more kids like Askia Ahmad could become Spartans.

Many alumni have directed their giving over the last 30 years to this endowment, seeking to pay it forward to the next generation. Our alumni point out that these donations are both for the students who receive indexed tuition AND to enhance the student experience for the entire Collegiate community. Time and time again, we hear from alumni that their experience was enhanced by having friends with different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.

Chase Koch, class of 1996, is one of our alumni who credits these friendships with helping him become a better leader and person. He was in Askia Ahmad’s class and shared, “When Askia came to Collegiate, I was blown away by his work ethic and focus. He really valued the exposure to those who were business-minded at Collegiate, and he was here to put himself on a new path. The first business I ever started was actually with Askia. He worked at The Radio Shop and taught me how to wire up car stereos and build custom boomboxes. We started doing this for our classmates - it was a great little business!”

Chase continues, “Since childhood, the value Askia has added to my life has been significant, both personally and professionally. I am truly grateful to the leadership at Collegiate for ensuring that kids like Askia can attend Collegiate. He benefitted, sure, but we all benefited much more.”

When we asked Askia why he’s comfortable sharing that he received financial assistance, he says, “Well, I wasn’t always, but as I’ve realized the net Collegiate tuition I had to pay was a significant portion of my family’s household income, I feel nothing but pride. We worked hard as a family for this opportunity, and I knew at the time how lucky I was to be here. I loved sports, but I was willing to sacrifice playing basketball to spend more hours working to help pay my tuition. I knew my time in the classroom with this caliber of teachers was worth that sacrifice, even though I would have loved to continue playing. I knew what I was learning from my classmates and this community as a whole was worth every sacrifice.”

Askia has given back to Collegiate tenfold, and is the parent of two Spartans, Asa, who just graduated, and Langston, rising sophomore. Askia’s wife is one of our beloved employees, Shanna Ahmad, who makes a huge difference in our students’ lives as the Upper School Counselor. Prior to Shanna’s employment at Collegiate, Askia was the Alumni Board President, and later a Trustee.

The Alumni Board has hosted the WCS Golf Classic for 25 years, with proceeds benefiting The WCS Alumni Endowment Fund. Many alumni have also made restricted gifts directly to this endowment over the years, and its total value is now over $1.3 million.

Askia is a common fixture at the WCS Golf Classic, sharing, “I try to never miss it. I may never know the students who are impacted by the fundraising done that day, but I know they are worth it, and our whole community is better because they are here. I have witnessed this on both sides, both as a student on indexed tuition, and as a parent whose kids’ friends are on indexed tuition. My sons have had a better childhood because of the great kids this program has brought to our school.”

If you are passionate about supporting this core Collegiate value, join us on September 27 at the 25th Annual WCS Golf Classic.

INDEXED TUITION

Indexed Tuition is flexible tuition pricing based on a family’s specific financial situation. Collegiate follows a confidential process utilizing the Clarity Application to determine a family’s tuition level based on the information that families share in the application, which includes assets, income, expenses, and debts as documented by tax filings and W2 forms. Families applying for Indexed Tuition are required to complete this review each school year.