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From left: Will Lenk, Jeannie Diefenderfer |
FINANCIAL AID INITIATIVE
First a Receiver, Then a Giver
When she read Will Lenk’s thank-you letter, Jeannie Diefenderfer, E84, knew her plan was working. Lenk wrote: “I have seen firsthand the difference one donation can make, and you have inspired me to pay it forward.” The Jeannie H. Diefenderfer Endowed Scholarship Fund was created in 2008 for that very purpose: to not only enable engineering students with financial need to attend Tufts, but also to inspire them to give. Lenk, E15, received the scholarship for both his junior and senior years.
Diefenderfer’s family immigrated to New York City from Seoul when she was thirteen. Financial aid allowed her to attend Tufts, an important turning point in her life. “I had never been away from home before,” she says. She majored in chemical engineering and went on to a twenty-eight-year career in telecommunications, eventually leading more than 10,000 employees as a senior vice president at Verizon.
Lenk, who grew up in Portland, Maine, says Tufts has exposed him to many different cultures and viewpoints. “In high school, everyone spoke the same language and came from the same background,” he says. “Here, I’m always stretching myself to consider a broader range of opinions.” The academic opportunities are also expanding his horizons. As part of a team in Professor Sameer Sonkusale’s lab, Lenk has helped to develop an intelligent bandage that will monitor wounds for physical and chemical signs of poor healing.
Diefenderfer retired from Verizon in 2012 and founded courageNpurpose, a firm that advises boards and CEOs on strategic initiatives. Now a trustee and a member of Tufts’ Engineering Board of Advisors, she considers philanthropy a part of who she is. “Giving is a value of the highest order,” she says.
Double Your Gift. As part of a university-wide drive to boost financial aid, Tufts will match qualifying gifts to endowed scholarships of $100,000 or more. The Tufts Financial Aid Initiative has raised more than $58 million over the past three years, and has been extended through June 2016. The goal: an additional $27 million in new gifts. To learn how to endow a scholarship through the initiative, contact Jeff Winey, senior director of principal and leadership gifts, at 617.627.5468 or jeff.winey@tufts.edu.