Thanks to You, She’s Taking an Epic Journey

As we embark on the final year of For Good: The Campaign for Earlham College, we have already surpassed 95% of our $85 million fundraising goal. At the heart of the Earlham experience is the Epic Journey, the College’s signature student success program, which includes opportunities for internships, student-faculty collaborative research and off-campus study programs.

The Epic Journey is a major component of the campaign, and its support of travel opportunities for students is paramount. At Earlham, 65% of students participate in off-campus programs, and the College and donors alike are committed to making sure that students have access to the life-changing experience of studying abroad regardless of financial barriers.

Although program costs are covered by tuition and financial aid, additional travel-related expenses are not. Endowed travel funds are specifically designated to help cover the gap for travel expenses beyond tuition, such as passports, visas and airfare.

In 2016, members of the Class of 1966 created a travel fund to celebrate their 50th class reunion. “It has become prohibitively expensive for students to pay for travel to their chosen off-campus study site, so we have created this endowed fund,” the group says. “We hope that Earlham students in the coming decades will benefit even more than we did from these experiences, and we are glad we can help make it possible.”

Today, their generosity is making an incredible impact. This year’s Class of 1966 Travel Award recipient is Meryl Pawlick ’24, a senior majoring in sociology and anthropology and minoring in Spanish and Hispanic studies. Meryl will be using her travel award to attend USAC’s Spanish, ecology and anthropology-focused program in San Ramón, Costa Rica, and her excitement is palpable!

“Being able to immerse myself in Spanish and strive toward fluency while simultaneously pursuing my academic passion for anthropology—even being able to conduct field work on Costa Rican culture—is a dream come true,” Meryl says. “The beautiful country and welcoming community were alluring enough, but to see all of my interests and passions bundled together into one program was an immediate match.”

There are several ways to create designated funds at Earlham, such as an IRA minimum distribution, or by naming Earlham as a beneficiary of your estate. Regardless of the vehicle, the outcome is clear: Funds that support the Epic Journey are tangibly making a difference in the lives of every Earlham student they touch.

As Meryl says, “The opportunity to study abroad is a dream, and to have not only the financial support but also the moral encouragement of Earlhamites from years prior makes me proud to follow in the footsteps of their legacy of becoming a global citizen.”

Your support makes all the difference in our students’ futures. Contact Gail Connerley at 765-983-1439 or gailc@earlham.edu to learn about your giving options—and about creating your legacy at Earlham.