Donor Impact 2015
Sarah Nadreau
Sarah Nadreau
Graduation year: 2015
Major: Vocal performance (music)
Hometown: Moscow, Idaho
It's interesting to me how, as a student enters college, he or she is consistently reminded, "You're an adult now." While that may be true on some level, I think that I've grown more in the last four years, since coming to Whitworth, than I ever have before. The environment that I grew up in was quite small and not terribly open to questioning personalities. Though I left my hometown with many positive experiences, I also felt that my curiosity was largely stifled. Being here at Whitworth has been such a liberating adventure in light of that. I know that this place has facilitated my personal growth in huge ways, especially by allowing me to question.
One thing I don't want to do is paint our university as a perfect little college, filled only with butterflies and rainbows and saint-like people. That diminishes its value. Besides, I don't believe you can find a place like that anywhere in this world. Wherever you go you will face difficulties you'd rather not deal with. What I appreciate about Whitworth is that, as I've encountered hardships and frustration, this university has given me a fantastic environment in which to respond to those challenges. It has given me a support system that I never could have dreamed of. I know for a fact that these people are all rooting for me and want me to succeed, and that is an incredibly empowering thing to experience.
I come from a military family of nine, and my dad is a blue-collar worker. Though I never was in need of much as I grew up, my family was not exactly what one would consider "well off." Leaving home for college to study music was always more of a dream than a practical reality, but the scholarships I've been given here changed that. I want my donors to know how thankful I am for their help. Without it, not only would I have missed out on the education I've been given; I never would have developed these friendships or learned where my priorities lie in life and in faith the way that I have. I hope our donors realize that they are not only supporting academic training: They are supporting huge growth in the lives of Whitworth's students. They are helping to establish relationships, and they are laying the groundwork for life experiences that will develop the hearts of individuals. That makes their gifts priceless.