Giving Back to Move Forward

Furman gave me an opportunity that significantly charted the course of my life. Now it’s my responsibility to ensure others have that same chance.

That’s why I’m taking the lead on The Furman Promise initiative, a transformative effort to create endowed scholarships. There are far too many talented kids who have Furman as their first choice but ultimately can’t attend due to the financial challenges of paying for college. That can change. We can make the difference. We can invest in future generations through collective action that enables a Furman education for any young person wanting
to attend.

It was my parents, the game of golf and Furman University that taught me that hard work, determination and drive would pay off. But it might not have happened without a half women’s golf scholarship my first year that turned into a full scholarship my sophomore year due to my performance on the golf course. That helped significantly. My mom, a schoolteacher, and my dad, a federal government employee in Washington D.C., said that Furman wasn’t viable without financial aid. We made it work that first year, but earning the full scholarship those last three years created relief for my hard-working parents and enabled my younger sister to explore additional college options as a result.

For me, being able to choose Furman was important and was the advantage I needed to achieve my goals. I wanted engaged learning, I wanted small classrooms and I wanted to build personal relationships with professors. Plus, I wanted to play golf for a top 10 Division I women’s golf program. Furman checked all those boxes and more. I loved the campus environment, the outstanding golf facilities and the lifelong friends I made during those years. But none of that would have been possible without my scholarship.

Getting the opportunity to be laser-focused on academics and athletics helped create the discipline and skills that took me to executive leadership positions at companies like NIKE and Golf Channel, and to now serve on the board of directors for public companies such as Deckers Outdoors (UGG, HOKA and Teva footwear and apparel) and Brinker International (Chili’s and Maggiano’s restaurants).

I’m a big believer that a liberal arts education teaches you how to think and better prepares you for your next step after graduation, whether that’s graduate school or your first job. Furman allowed me to develop that critical thinking capability while focusing on a major that ultimately led me to graduate school and my chosen business career.

I realize now that had Furman not invested in me and my potential years ago, I wouldn’t be where I am today as a person and as a professional. That’s simply why The Furman Promise motivates me to give back to ensure others have that same opportunity. Because we all know that at various points in our lives someone else had a hand in helping us achieve our happiness and success. Now it’s our turn to do the same for those who follow.