Bahareh Barzegar will receive a tuition break of $15,000 thanks to Jack Welch ’57, a long-time supporter of campus and retired CEO of General Electric, along with his wife, Suzy Welch, who are among the most generous donors to the Reasons to Give program.
Nick of Time
Scholarships make the difference now more than ever
Bahareh Barzegar ’11 is the fourth child in her family to attend UMass Amherst. For her, winning a scholarship provided financial relief for her parents who shouldered tuitions for sisters Zahra ’06 and Maryam ’08, and brother Reza ’08. The chemical engineering major earned a Welch Scholarship for three years based on her academics.
It’s a challenging year for many UMass families. The financial load was eased this year for students with awards from the Reasons to Give scholarship program, a new campus effort that targets students who might otherwise get lost in the shuffle: those who don’t qualify for government awards for low-income families but still sorely need some financial help.
Barzegar received $5,000 toward her tuition for this academic year as well as the same award for her junior and senior years. “Getting the scholarship proves to me that there are people out there recognizing the hard work I am doing and it just makes me want to work harder to achieve my goals,” Barzegar says.
Chancellor Robert C. Holub launched Reasons to Give in January. Since then, $300,000 has been raised through private donations. “We are living in challenging times, but we must continue to invest in our future and in our students,” says Holub.
During the last decade, scholarship awards at UMass Amherst have doubled. Last year, more than 5,800 undergraduates received private, need-based aid, totaling $24.6 million. The Reasons to Give program responds to the reality that more families are suffering job losses or reduced income. “The economic plight of many families makes these scholarships necessary,” says Robert Epstein ’67. “Many students didn’t start out with need but due to circumstances beyond their control, they now need some help.” Epstein, president of Horizon Beverage Co. in Avon, Connecticut, and his wife, Linda ’67, have contributed $30,000 to the program.
When Meaghan Kane ’12 of Westford received a Reasons to Give Scholarship from the Epsteins, her parents expressed a sigh of relief. In addition to their daughter attending UMass Amherst, the Kane’s son is enrolled at UMass Lowell, placing a double tuition burden on her family. Kane is the first in her family to attend college, and faces thousands of dollars in loans to secure her bachelor’s degree. She says the most immediate benefit is reducing the debt she will accrue on her way to a marketing degree from the Isenberg School of Management. “Without thousands of dollars in loans, it will be possible for me to pursue my master’s degree sooner,” she says.