UMHEF Scholars Become Grads, Thanks to You!

Graduates

In spring, new life and new possibilities are all around us. As Easter people, we continue to celebrate the Risen Christ. Trees get their leaves back, the tulip bulbs we planted in the fall burst open, and scholarship applications for the coming school year are under review. Soon, thanks to the support of UMHEF donors, hundreds of graduation caps will be tossed into the air by United Methodist Higher Education Foundation scholarship recipients.

One of those caps belongs to Emma Piercy of the Hendrix College Class of 2024. Emma received a UM Dollars for Scholars scholarship all four years of college. Each year, her home church—St. James UMC in Little Rock, Arkansas—kicked in $1,000, the Methodist Foundation for Arkansas added $1,000, and UMHEF donors helped us match those gifts with another $1,000. Finally, Hendrix College, as a matching institution, contributed a match as well. In all, that’s a total of $16,000 in financial assistance that made it possible for Emma to get a quality education at Hendrix College, a United Methodist-related institution.

“I appreciate the support from my congregation and UMHEF,” Emma recently shared. “It provided a break for my parents who cover [the expenses of] my education. Thank you. I am very blessed to be a United Methodist.”

UMHEF Scholar, Emma P.

Emma has found ways to give back to her church and the conference that supported her. She has been active in the life of St. James UMC in Little Rock since sixth grade, serving on the church Leadership Committee, volunteering on mission trips, and helping with the youth ministry. She also served as a college intern for two years at Conway First United Methodist Church near Hendrix, where she helped lead Appalachian mission projects and mentored eighth graders going through confirmation. What a blessing it is to be part of Emma’s journey.

Join us in celebrating all of our 2024 graduates.

We are grateful for each student, our UM Dollars for Scholars partners, and our donors. When you give to UMHEF, you help ensure that graduation caps will be tossed into the air by United Methodist students attending United Methodist schools for many years to come.