Class of 2018 Scholarship Nears Halfway Mark of Goal

Will Woodward ’18 knows that for young alums, money can be tight—so tight that supporting worthy causes might feel beyond their capacity. He also knows, though, that the brother rat spirit is stronger than the challenges life throws at everyone—and working together, individuals can accomplish far more than they can alone.

That’s why Woodward, a fourth-generation alumnus, has urged his brother rats to support the Class of 2018 Scholarship with recurring donations as modest as $10 per month.

Woodward, who serves as a co-class agent for his class along with Reagan Goulla ’18, has been shepherding the scholarship effort along ever since he and his brother rats graduated 7 years ago. As a cadet, he was the recipient of the Class of 1992 Memorial Scholarship—his father is William “Woody” Woodward ’92—and he was therefore well aware of how one class’s generosity can impact the next generation.

At first, fundraising was slow going, but not surprisingly, it’s gotten easier as members of the class have gotten older. “The donations have really taken off in the last few years when everyone’s [gotten] themselves established,” said Woodward.

Thanks to his persistent efforts and the support of his brother rats, the scholarship fund has received gifts and future commitments of approximately $34,000. When the fund reaches $75,000, members of the class will be able to finalize a memorandum of understanding and formally establish the scholarship.

“The biggest thing I’ve been doing in fundraising is just illustrating that every little bit counts,” Woodward noted. “My first pitch generally to people is telling them that you can automate a $10 a month donation and just let it ride and not need to worry about it after that.”

Woodward has also stressed that the brother rat spirit, which unites alumni of all majors and backgrounds, is often mentioned as the biggest takeaway from VMI—and scholarship support can keep a cadet in barracks with their brother rats rather than being forced to leave because of finances. “I give them my example,” he explained. “I talk to some of my roommates, in particular my 1st Class roommates, just about every single day, even now. At this point, nearly 7 years after graduation, I would not have that relationship with those people if we hadn’t gone to the same school together. And so I ask [my brother rats]: What value do you put on the people, the experiences, from VMI?”

The scholarship, he noted, won’t be earmarked for cadets from a particular major or tied to whether or not a cadet is commissioning. Rather, it will be available to any 3rd Class cadet or higher, with an eventual preference for children of members of the Class of 2018.

And each day, as Woodward reaches out to brother rats about the scholarship, he thinks of the deserving young people it will someday benefit by allowing them to complete their cadetships. “The one thing that I think I really want people to know is how easy it is to donate a little and how much that can mean to people, if that makes the difference between them being able to stay VMI or them having to leave,” he said. “That’s the biggest point for me.”