Our Crowdfunding Groups
Thank you for your generosity during One Big Week. Together, our universities raised over $600,000 from more than 5,800 gifts to support our students. You are providing students across our campuses with academic scholarships, health and wellness services, food and housing, and creating pathways to a college education for the next generation of leaders.
See your impact.
Your gift can support needs like:
I love being a Buckeye. From the first time I toured campus as an undergraduate, I felt a special spirit and sense of community at Ohio State.
I chose to study political science as an undergraduate because I thought I wanted to be a lawyer. I interned with the Ohio Attorney General’s office and worked full time at the Moritz College of Law for a year after graduation.
That year gave me the chance to really think about my future and I realized practicing law wasn’t my purpose. I’ve always had a passion for helping people who are underrepresented because of religion, sexuality or race. That’s just who I am. The assistant dean at the law school, who became a friend and mentor, suggested the master’s in social work program. I looked into it and decided to apply for a scholarship.
Receiving the scholarship gave me the chance to reappraise my dreams for the future. The additional years of study allowed me to do work that was purposeful.
The scholarship also motivated me to stay focused and finish. It’s a lot easier to pursue your dream when you have someone cheering you on.
The really special thing about Ohio State’s social work master’s program is its flexibility. I chose to follow the “macro” track that focuses on societal systems and policies. During graduate school, I interned with State Representative Brigid Kelly. She helped me understand how public office gives you the ability to make systemic changes through the legislative process.
My mentor at Moritz helped me find my current role with the consulting firm Korn Ferry where I am learning about social impact in the private sector. Eventually, I hope to return to Ohio and address social justice issues by holding public office.
The scholarship I received to attend graduate school, and the wonderful mentors who helped me throughout my education, reinforced the most valuable lesson I learned at Ohio State: the value of community and the importance of creating and sustaining sincere, authentic relationships.
Demondre Peak, MSW ’21, College of Social Work
I have a strong history of volunteerism and I believe firmly in the value of a vibrant, locally owned business comm
unity. That is why when I arrived at Fisher College of Business I planned to major in finance, be active in my community and eventually own a small business.
Thanks to donors like you, Fisher has the resources to build a repertoire of programs for students to explore and identify their most meaningful path toward a future in business.
Fisher not only provided access to experiences I never dreamed possible and set the stage for a career I didn’t even know existed — social enterprise. I had no idea I could combine a for-profit business model to support the mission of a nonprofit. I quickly changed my major to operations management and added a minor in nonprofit management.
I’m one of the lucky ones. Despite the pandemic, financial support from donors like you afforded me the opportunity to accept an unpaid internship with a social enterprise in Columbus called Freedom a la Cart. This organization works with survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation to build new lives and self-sufficiency as they reintegrate into the community. I have proudly received my diploma and I will join the team full time as their community outreach coordinator.
That’s the beautiful thing about your generosity — it opens up a world of possibilities and opportunities — not just for me, but for the lives of the survivors I will help in my new career. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for donors like you — thanks to you, I’m a Buckeye for life!
Grace Figliomeni (BSBA ’21)
