ALUMNA GIVES BACK TO LAKE LAND EVERY YEAR SINCE GRADUATING

SINCE GRADUATING SINCE HER GRADUATION IN 2016,

Cassidy Strohl has given to the Foundation each year, making 2021 her fifth year as a Foundation donor at only 25 years old.

“I got a scholarship from the Foundation my senior year of high school, and it really helped with some of the extra costs I had,” Strohl said. “Now that I have graduated and am able to give back financially, I think it’s important for me to give back to what got me where I am.”

Originally having come to Lake Land because she was uncertain what path she wanted to pursue, Strohl said Lake Land was a great place to discover what she was passionate about while still completing general education courses.

For those considering giving, Strohl suggested reaching out to the Foundation or even researching projects the Foundation is working on.

“Find out how the donations are directly impacting students and what that money is going toward,” Strohl said. “Then it’s super easy to make the decision to donate and say ‘Yes, this is going to directly impact our community and the students coming to Lake Land.’”

One such student is Harley Barry (right), MVP of the Women’s Basketball Team’s national championship victory. Barry said she is grateful for the gifts of donors like Strohl, because earning scholarships helped to ease a lot of stress for her.

“It really means a lot,” Barry said. “I didn’t really have the time to get a job, so having the scholarship allowed me to focus on playing basketball and not worry about my financial situation.”

As she continues her education, Barry said having received a scholarship has not only helped her succeed while at Lake Land but will help her do so when she transfers to Eastern Illinois University in the fall as well.

“I think not having to worry about my finances as much will really help me focus on my academics in my next two years,” Barry said. “Even with basketball I was able to keep my grades up, so it will just make things so much easier for me knowing I got that scholarship.”

As an elementary education major, Barry said she believes her experience as a scholarship recipient will provide insight in her future career.

“I think it will help me be more reassuring to the students who maybe don’t have as much as others,” Barry said. “I want to be able to be there and support those students. Sometimes knowing there’s someone there supporting you and pushing you can make you try that much harder and achieve more things.”

HARLEY BARRY, LAKER NATION CLASS OF 2021 FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT & 2021 NJCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MVP