Fall 2022 Newsletter

Dear alumni, families, and friends of the Smittcamp Family Honors College (SFHC),

Each day, I am thankful to be the SFHC Director. I am filled with gratitude because my work allows me to spend time with academically-talented students who have chosen to chase their big dreams. They are pursuing those dreams while also serving the communities they live in, both on- and off-campus.

It is not easy to practice selflessness on a daily basis! But that is what our students are being taught to do. And, some extend that practice beyond what most of us can imagine and/or expect. Take, for example, the story of this issue’s featured alumna, Sarah (McCord) Hawkins (B.S. Kinesiology, 2004) who, in 2018, volunteered her kidney to the father of a Manchester GATE classmate who needed a kidney transplant!

It is impossible not to be inspired by stories such as Sarah’s, as well as those of our current scholars, who manage their personal lives while also excelling in the classroom, community, and athletic competition. That is why I am asking you to join me in giving to SFHC during the upcoming Day of Giving (Nov. 2-3, 2022). Each dollar that we raise is going directly to a deserving scholar in the form of a President’s Honors Scholarship.

Thank you for investing in our scholars. We are humbled by your faith in them and their dreams. And, thank you for your continued support of SFHC–one of the greatest treasures at Fresno State and the Valley.

With gratitude,