Donors give the gift of scholarships to Marshall students every semester, but the time is approaching when students will have the opportunity to give back to the donors.

Marshall University will kick off its Love a Donor Days campaign Tuesday, Feb. 12, but students can get a head start now by recording thank you videos via ThankView software.

This information was emailed out to students on Jan. 29 so that they could go ahead and mark their calendars and start planning out what to say.

This will be the fifth year the event has been held to thank donors for funding scholarships, programs, conferences andcompetitions, as well as for providing classroom supplies, said Krystle Davis, program director for scholarships and donor relations.

The event allows students with privately-funded scholarships to contact the donors for their specific scholarships and not only give thanks but share why scholarships are important.

Katie McNulty, a junior nursing major who is a recipient of the Promise Scholarship and Marshall’s Presidential scholarship, said that although she has been blessed enough to receive financial support from her parents, receiving scholarships has kept her from having to take out student loans to cover the rest of her tuition expenses.

“A lot of students, especially from here in West Virginia, don’t see college as a legitimate option after high school due to rising costs,” McNulty said. “Scholarships can really fuel academic success.”

Though Marshall has one of the lower tuitions in the country, the increasing cost of tuitionin West Virginia may cause students to have an easier time digging themselves into a hole of debt over time.

“Once you add in the extra costs of housing, food, transportation, etc., it’s a lot for a young adult to afford,” McNulty said.

For students, it is beneficial to start off with as little debt as possible as they embark on the rest of their lives, and scholarships may allow some students, like McNulty, to live out the dream of “starting off without owing anyone.”

When donors make the choice to give to scholarships, they are providing some students with the opportunity to grow and thrive, as well as allowing some students from different socioeconomic backgrounds to seek out their dreams.

Staff from the Foundation Hall will set up in The Memorial Student Center on Tuesday, Feb. 12 and Wednesday, Feb. 13. Free hot chocolate will be served as students are given the supplies and help that they need to give thanks to their donors and explain why donations are important.

Makaylah Wheeler can be contacted at [email protected].