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Women for ESU Inaugural Symposium Forges Connections and Provides Grants

by Lindsay Thompson

Emporia, KS (04/08/2024) — A new volunteer-led giving circle, created less than a year ago to support Emporia State University and its students, is already making a big impact.

Women for ESU was formed to increase philanthropic investment and to provide a pathway for women who share a vision for leadership and financial growth to come together and create opportunities for Emporia State students. Members pool their contributions into a grant fund for new or existing projects and initiatives that will make a transformational impact on Emporia State students and the campus environment. Women for ESU is also a vibrant collective passionate about encouraging and empowering women as champions and changemakers, and it welcomes anyone inspired by their mission.

On Saturday, April 6, Women for ESU held its inaugural symposium where five initiatives were celebrated and awarded grants. The winners were:

  • Corky's Career Closet received a $12,000 grant. Corky's Career Closet will use these funds to expand the campus clothes closet, providing students with professional attire for interviews, internships, and career fairs.
  • "Tough," a play by Margot Connolley, received a $10,000 grant. The Emporia State Theatre Program will use these funds to add a fourth show to their regular season.
  • A Place of Comfort and Calm: Creating Sensory Spaces Inside the ESU Library received a $10,000 grant. This initiative will create a space in the ESU Library as a sensory room. This space will support students with disabilities at ESU, especially those with autism spectrum disorder.
  • Hornet Huddle: Connection for TradPlus and Transfer Students received an $8,000 grant. The goal of Hornet Huddle is to provide a variety of recurring programs addressing the unique needs of transfer and non-traditional (TradPlus) students.
  • Sociology of Sport Day received a $5,000 grant. This event will introduce high school juniors and seniors to the study of society and sports and provide sociology and crime and delinquency majors the opportunity to practice their skills and share the knowledge they have obtained in their studies.

The symposium was a partnership with the student-led Breaking Barriers Conference, which brought together attendees and students, providing them the opportunity to meet and learn more about one another at a networking luncheon and social hour. The event also featured keynote speaker Teri Karjala, a thought leader in female empowerment and entrepreneurship and alumna of Emporia State.

The symposium was open to all and provided members and non-members alike the opportunity to see transformational dreams being made a reality through donor support.

If you would like to learn more about Women for ESU, or become a member, visit emporia.edu/womenforesu.

Media Attachments

Representatives for the five projects selected for funding by Women for ESU are, from left, Rebecca Rodriguez Carey for Sociology of Sport Day; Terri Summey for A Place of Comfort and Calm: Creating Sensory Spaces Inside the ESU Library; Stephanie Taylor, Laura Santacruz Vera and Olivia Carlson for Corky’s Career Closet; Aubrey Wilson for “Tough,” a play by Margot Connolley and Sophia Dawson for Hornet Huddle: Connection for TradPlus and Transfer Students.

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