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News | April 17, 2024
2023 Homecoming Queen Jane Vickers and her family created the scholarship as a way to give back to the community.
In honor of her time at Troy University, senior Jane Vickers and her family have started the Pike Community Scholarship that will provide tuition for four years to a student from Pike County.
A broadcast journalism major from Tallahassee, Fla., Vickers spent her time at TROY giving back as much as she could because at one point, she didn’t think she’d get to have a college experience. She was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in high school, an autoimmune disorder that can cause hyperthyroidism.
Due to side effects caused by her illness, she was forced to leave school and instead obtained her GED—despite being a good student before becoming sick, many colleges couldn’t see past the lack of a diploma.
“I was always a good student, so that was really hard for me,” she said. “Then TROY opened up and said ‘No, college is still accessible to you.’ Chancellor Hawkins always talks about the glass ceiling, so it’s really special to me to be able to take away that glass ceiling for a student, and more students in the future.”
Vickers arrived at TROY for her freshman year in 2020 when COVID suspended extracurricular activities. Once restrictions were lifted, she dove head first into any and everything to make the most of her remaining years.
“Especially being sick, I’ve just had such a different mindset of, ‘Why not just do everything?’” she said.
She’s served as Chi-Omega New Member Educator Assistant, Panhellenic President and Vice President of External Recruitment, Order of Omega President, Student Government Association Senator at Large, Vice President of Internal Affairs, Public Relations Chairwoman and Director of Elections, College Republicans Secretary and a Bright Futures Civic Scholar. She was also a Trojan Ambassador and a Conversation Partner and volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club, Miracle League, Make a Wish Alabama, Campus Kitchens, Common Ground Troy, Miss Walk Hard and American Red Cross.
In October 2022, she founded Community Connections, a mentorship program with the Boys and Girls Club, and in 2023 she was crowned Homecoming Queen.
“I’ve really tried to get to know every single group on campus,” she said. “My family is really big into giving back to the community, and especially after getting Homecoming Queen, I really wanted to do something that would stay even after I graduated.
“I’ve loved getting involved with different volunteer groups in the community, but I’m leaving this spring. I wanted to do something that still connects me to TROY and still gives back because I’ve gotten so much from TROY.”
It was through her volunteer work with the Boys and Girls Club that Vickers and her family had the idea for a full-tuition scholarship. To qualify for the scholarship, undergraduate students need to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and qualify for FAFSA. Preference will be given to incoming freshmen from Pike County.
“I’ve done a lot of mentorship with kids around the Troy area, and I realized there is so much poverty in our area and a lot of kids grow up and don’t think they are able to go to college. That’s not even a dream in their head because they don’t think it’s possible,” she said. “Our hope is this upcoming fall semester will be the first time it’s given, and we hope to just get one student and it will be given to them through their senior year. As long as they make the grades and stay at TROY.”
As she approaches graduation, Vickers already has plans to re-enroll as a graduate student in the TROY Online strategic communication master’s program while applying for jobs in Washington D.C. After earning her master’s, she has her sights set on law school with the goal of eventually working with elections.
The deadline to apply for the Pike Community Scholarship is May 1, and it will be awarded for the 2024-2025 academic year.
To view additional donor scholarships TROY offers, click here.
Savanah Weed is a University Relations Coordinator at Troy University,
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