Share this story.

Foundation of Success

Scholarship students meet with benefactors

---

Click Photo to Enlarge [L-to-R] ORU School of Education students Christine McDonald, Rose Thouret, Rebecca Benson, and Samantha Suttles received generous scholarships from The David E. and Cassie L. Temple Foundation.

Click Photo to Enlarge Temple Foundation representative Tim Lyons speaks with student Rebecca Benson. "It's gratifying to see what's going on here," Lyons, a 1982 ORU graduate, said. "I'm very impressed by the quality of students and their heart for helping others."

It's one of the enduring mysteries of financial aid in higher education: scholarships are frequently created and bestowed with nary a word spoken between benefactors and recipients.

The ORU School of Education chose to remedy this situation in one particular instance by hosting a get-together luncheon between a special group of students and their scholarship sponsors last month.

ORU seniors Rebecca Benson (Science Education, 6th-12th grades), Christine McDonald (Music, K-12th grades), Samantha Suttles (Elementary Education), and Rose Thouret (Social Studies Education, 6th-12th grades) met with representatives from The David E. and Cassie L. Temple Foundation, which funded their generous $5,000 scholarships. The students, all of whom are currently engaged in student teaching assignments in Tulsa-area schools, shared how the scholarships have benefited them personally as well as their future teaching plans. (As part of the scholarship requirement, students promise to teach in low-income and/or low-performing Oklahoma schools for at least three years.)

"Because my major is so intensive, this is my fifth year at ORU," McDonald explained. "I knew it was going to be difficult to do financially, so I just prayed about it. I told God, it's up to you to open this door! And He did by blessing me with this scholarship. It's provided me with the ability to finish my degree and share my love of music with children in Oklahoma."

In addition to a delicious meal, Temple Foundation chairman Dr. Wayne Bland and board members Tim Lyons (a 1982 graduate of ORU) and Betty Stephenson also enjoyed the opportunity to get to know the students better--and to see firsthand the good that Temple Foundation money is doing.

"I think Dave and Cassie would be extremely pleased [with these students]," Stephenson said after the students presented their "e-portfolios"--online collections of their educational work at ORU. "We try to look at what they would have wanted to support, and I can say they would be proud to support these students."

Dr. Bland agreed, telling the students, "After meeting you, it's easy to see why Texas schools keep trying to take you away from us!"

The luncheon ended with a few words from the School of Education's dean, Dr. David Hand, and associate dean Dr. Kim Boyd, as well as Dr. Ralph Fagin, Vice President for Academic Affairs.

"I hope it is clear that you are putting good seeds in good soil," Dr. Fagin said. "The mission of the ORU School of Education is to transform the lives of our students through Jesus Christ so that they can go out and transform the lives of others--and you are helping us do that."