Student participation in the Senior Gift Drive was markedly low this year, with only 73% of the senior class donating a total of $1,692 to the Students for Students Scholarship Fund. The fund-raiser ended last Friday. This Students for Students Scholarship fund was founded in 1984. Over the past five years, the senior class gift has successfully donated over $12,000.
Regarding the low student turnout, Morgan Harney ’17 said, “I think a lot of the seniors didn’t really understand that the money received from the Senior Gift Drive goes to a scholarship fund. It is a really good idea, but if it was promoted sooner and was done over a longer period of time, I think that the drive would’ve done a lot better.”
Students of the senior class who have exhibited strong leadership were chosen to help as part of the Senior Gift Committee members. They worked alongside Assistant Director of Annual Fund Ms. Carolyn Garibaldi and Coordinator of Volunteer Programs Ms. Priti Kapoor. The student committee is responsible for speaking at form meeting, running the booth in the dining hall, and participating in the “I Love Choate” video that the School sends to alumni.
Committee member Chris Birch ’17 said, “The student committee is present largely to encourage our peers to donate and to put a face on the fund raiser that other seniors see and recognize in order to encourage them to give.”
Committee members worked hard to promote the fund-raiser. One member, Amir Idris ’17, commented, “Overall, I was enthused with the energy that many brought to the campaign. Many were happy to give what they could, and many were very generous with what they gave. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the turnout that we hoped for, possibly due to scheduling issues, but despite that I think it was a wonderful experience.”
Despite this year’s low turnout, Ms. Garibaldi takes great pride in the Senior Gift Drive. She said, “The senior class gift program has contributed more than $12,000 to the Student for Students Scholarship Fund. The students should be really proud of that. They are making a difference for another student here at school with them. It could be your best friend, your teammate, or your roommate.”
Ms. Garibaldi then concluded, “You may only attend Choate for four years, but your connection to the school is for a lifetime.”
