Fiday Family Makes Impact With Scholarships and Mentorship
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inding a way to give back within their new community was a priority for Gloria and Ray Fiday after they moved from Chicago to Florida. After high school, due to family responsibilities and financial limitations, both Gloria and Ray attended community college. “Community college was a profoundly important stepping stone that allowed us to attain our advanced degrees. Without it, we would not have been able to realize our professional dreams,” explained Gloria. Ray completed his Bachelor of Science in business administration at Northern Illinois University and Gloria continued her education in clinical social work at The University of Chicago and ultimately completed her Ph.D. They are paying it forward through both the financial commitment to supporting an annual scholarship but also giving time to mentor students.
ambassadors as they prepared their speeches for the Avenues to the Future fundraiser. While attending the event, Ray made a deeper connection with one ambassador, Juwaan Jenkins, and has taken on a mentoring role. Ray meets with Jenkins regularly for poolside chats at the Fiday’s residence. Jenkins, a leader in the Student Government Association and former Florida College System Activities Association Student of the Month, is an avid sports fan who hopes to turn his passion into a career in sports. Ray has imparted knowledge from his years in sales on how to build and other people nurture a network of connections to advance a career.
“We want to envision themselves sponsoring scholarships and being mentors too, helping to reach even more students.”
Ray and Gloria had already started a scholarship fund in Chicago and seen the impact it made for the recipients. The couple were impressed by the SCF Foundation and the enthusiasm of its executive director, Cassandra Holmes, and knew SCF was the right place to continue their philanthropic giving. They have targeted their funding to support first-generation college students who have taken part in the College Reach-Out Program (CROP) or Summer Bridge program.
“I like helping people, connecting people together. He asks the right questions, and together we’ve come up with some really good ideas on how to pursue his professional career aspirations,” said Ray.
“He (Ray) always is telling me how important it is to just keep getting to know people, be authentic with people, and keep branching out,” said Jenkins. “Be genuine, be honest, and tell people your goals.”
Gloria Fiday
“Giving first-generation students a boost was very important to us,” said Ray. “We’re able to assist them, and the way it’s structured, for each student we support, the state provides matching funds to help a second student.”
Gloria and Ray are quick to note that it doesn’t take huge sums of money to make a life-changing investment in a student. Their financial commitment comes from a passion for making education available, and they have budgeted accordingly to make their scholarship fund a reality. The relationships they’ve made with their scholarship recipients and with students like Juwaan are a priceless reward.
The Fiday’s dedication to giving back isn’t limited to financial gifts. Gloria volunteered in 2020 to assist the Foundation’s student
“I strongly encourage others to consider becoming donors,” said Gloria. “It’s such a powerful investment in the future.”
14 SCF-Foundation.org
