Stiudent, alumni stories highlight the value of scholarships – Virginia Tech News
31 Oct 2025
At Virginia Tech, scholarships are much more than a check. They are born from stories of success and service and gifted to students who demonstrate resilience and leadership. They represent the passing of a torch, the moments when alumni turn during their arcs of achievement to guide the next generation onward.
Scholarships, including those awarded through Student Affairs, help fulfill the Virginia Tech Advantage mission.
October’s Student Affairs Scholarship and Benefactors Celebration brought recipients, donors, and staff together for a night of recognition, gratitude, and community. It highlighted the resources Student Affairs provides, the donors who make them possible, and the students who earned these awards.
“The goal is simple yet transformative: to ensure every Hokie can graduate on time without the heavy burden of debt and with experiences that will prepare them for their careers and beyond,” Frances Keene, vice president for Student Affairs, said to banquet attendees. “Your gifts are directly investing in the resilience and success of our students. You are building a safety net that allows them to focus on their studies, to engage in transformative learning experiences, and to truly take advantage of all that Virginia Tech has to offer.”
Student Affairs scholarships exist for incoming, transfer, and current students. Many funds or endowments are fueled by alumni and past faculty, honoring their involvements at the university. Like the students who apply, these donors have their own formative stories and memories from their collegiate careers.
Robbie Werth ’74, ’81, establishing donor of the Werth Testing Center, recalled experiencing loneliness as an undergraduate student. During the banquet, Werth said the trajectory of his career, from college student to CEO, made giving back to Virginia Tech a natural response.
“When I think about what this place gave me, I know I have a responsibility to make sure the next generation of Hokies has even greater opportunities,” Werth said. “For me, that’s not just philanthropy — it’s a continuation of the work I’ve done my whole life: helping others overcome barriers.”
Every Student Affairs scholarship is created with a certain kind of student in mind: leaders who overcame adversity and not only learned about their majors, but about themselves. It’s someone who embodies Ut Prosim (That I May Serve). From students passionate about social justice efforts, service, or mentorship, to those skilled at table tennis, a Student Affairs scholarship recipient is someone who uses their gifts to make an impact.
Since the first celebration in 2022, student speaker have shared what their Student Affairs scholarships mean to them. This year, Neiver Morales Perez, a junior studying business information technology, shared how the Benedetti Student Leader Scholarship opened horizons for him.
During his time at Virginia Tech, Morales Perez created Primeros Pasos (First Steps), a mentorship program that aids and empowers high school students in rural Virginia who are at risk of not graduating high school.
“While I am more than honored to receive this award tonight, I do so with respect for those who have paved the path for me to do so,” Morales Perez said. “Watching my father, I learned what it looks like to keep dreaming even when the odds are against you. If he had given up back then, I would not be standing here today.”
Testimonies like Morales Perez’s are inspiring and gratifying for scholarship donors, just as recipients are inspired by the stories of scholarship donors. The Student Affairs Advancement team planned the Scholarship and Benefactors Celebration so those stories would be shared.
“These spaces give the donors and recipients a chance to interact, learn about each other’s stories, and connect them to the deeper understanding of student experience at Virginia Tech,” said Lisa Abbott, associate director of parent and alumni relations.
Also in attendance was Phillip Hernandez de Wright, assistant dean of students for financial hardship. He oversees the awarding of scholarships housed under the Dean of Students Office, including the Benedetti Student Leadership Scholarship.
“An event like this makes my job come alive. On an application, you don’t hear stories like Benedetti Scholarship that we heard,” Hernandez de Wright said. “It brings to life the things you can’t know on paper.”
Creating a scholarship or donating to the Virginia Tech VP Priority Fund ensures that students whose extracurricular and academic achievements help them soar don’t face financial barriers to success.
“It’s a sense of satisfaction, knowing that what we are doing really does have an impact,” said Ritche Moore ’85. “Sometimes you make donations and you really don’t know where it goes. When you give to Virginia Tech, you know that those dollars are directly impacting a student. You know it’s going where it needs to go.”
Written by Emma Duncan, a senior majoring in multimedia journalism
Marianne Sheets
540-231-9398
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