Indiana University East students shared their gratitude with many donors who have given their time and gifts to the university during a luncheon held in their honor on October 21 on Lingle Court in the Student Events Center.

The annual Spirit of Philanthropy Luncheon welcomes community supporters to campus in appreciation of their contributions toward scholarships, internships, leadership experiences and community service opportunities. Students shared their experiences and accomplishments during the luncheon.

Photos from the Spirit of Philanthropy luncheon are available on IU East Facebook.

This year’s student speakers included:

Sidne Thompson welcomed guests to the event and served as the emcee. Thompson is a senior nursing major from Centerville, Indiana. She is a 2019 Lingle Scholar and member of the Honors Program.

Thompson shared about her undergraduate experiences, including as an Admissions Ambassador and her time working in she has worked with the Office of External Affairs. As an undergraduate pursuing research, Thompson shared about her team project that placed second in the Oral Presentation category for the 2022 Student Research Day.

Recently, Thompson completed her nursing immersion experience and traveled to Calamityville, located at the National Center for Medical Readiness in Fairborn, Ohio. She said the experience allowed her to gain a better understanding of emergency preparedness in the role of the registered nurse. She is now completing her Honors Senior Thesis project on the Calamityville trip and the experience she gained in disaster preparedness.

“I chose to attend IU East after my first visit to campus,” Thompson said. “From the minute I stepped onto campus, I was welcomed by the family atmosphere that made me feel at home. This university has allowed me to pursue the career of my dreams while also being close to home.”

Jillian Splawn is from Fairfield, Ohio. She is a junior majoring in psychology with minors in neuroscience and criminal justice. Splawn is an Admissions Ambassador and a member of Student Academic Advisory Team (SAAT).

She explained that when she started as a freshman, it was during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and when many events and activities were cancelled for the health and safety of the campus and community. She said she is enjoying the return of a more normal campus life, filled with events, activities, and additional opportunities for student engagement, and she is proud to be a part of the process through the ambassadors and SAAT.

A recipient of the 2022 Kathleen Dickman Rogers Scholarship and additionally a past recipient of the Jacobs Engineering and The Hill Scholarship Fund, Splawn thanked donors for their generosity.

“Scholarships are sometimes the difference between having to work more hours at a job or concentrating more on my studies. It definitely helped me focus more on my studies, and I am excited to say I have made the dean’s list each semester,” Splawn said. “Getting chosen for a scholarship is such an honor and it helps us to achieve our goals and dreams. Many of us would be struggling without the kind- hearted donors like those we have at IU East. So, thank you from all of us.”

Danielle Ruhl is a senior humanities and social sciences major from Winchester, Indiana. She is a member of the women’s track and field team, setting records in the discus and hammer throws, and she recently joined the esports team. Additionally, Ruhl works in the Office of Campus Life, is a peer mentor and she is an intern in the Office of Student Success.

Ruhl transferred to IU East in 2019 and changed majors twice before finding her niche. While attending Extreme Summer JUMPSTART prior to starting at IU East, she was recruited to work as an Admissions Ambassador.

“I used to be a nervous and shy person that could only mutter a few words when speaking to someone. I decided to take the job, and then my life changed forever,” Ruhl said. As an Admissions Ambassador, she became more outgoing and found her true self. “During this time, I learned that there are a lot of students that are just like me. Students that were first generation students and had no idea how to apply for college, let alone complete the FAFSA or even what it stands for. This made me eager to jump in and act, to teach students how to become a college student and how to get the materials that they need to be successful.”

Ruhl plans to pursue a graduate degree at Ball State University in student affairs and higher education.

Jackson Troutwine of Richmond, Indiana, is a senior informatics major. Troutwine is a saxophonist and played Aria by Jacques Ibert during the luncheon. He is a member of the IU East Pep Band. He shared that the pep band plays for Red Wolves home events for volleyball and basketball and played a holiday performance and a cabaret.

Troutwine started playing the saxophone over 11 years ago in high school, and it has continued to be an important outlet for him through college, providing a stress relief from academic studies and a way to be in the community while interacting with different types of music. He gave his appreciation to those who have invested in the Pep Band Fund and Scholarship. “It’s nice to know that people are willing to invest in something that means the world to others,” Troutwine said.

In addition to the pep band, Troutwine is a student worker for the Office of Information Technology. He has also completed an internship with the IT Department at Reid Health.

As a recipient of the Allan B McCrea Memorial Scholarship, Red Wolf Summer Internship Scholarship, and Pride of the Pack scholarships, Troutwine said he was grateful for those who donate toward scholarships. He said receiving a scholarship helps students to feel good about what they are doing and provide a sense of encouragement.

“I am incredibly thankful for generous people like you and plan to reciprocate your generosity by giving money towards scholarships once I graduate,” Troutwine said. “I wouldn’t trade my experience at IU East for anything and am grateful for the donors and faculty that have made it such a positive experience.”

Isaiah Hootman from Arcanum, Ohio, is a senior nursing major. He shared moving to Richmond from a smaller town has been an adjustment but living at an apartment complex near campus has brought interactions with other students who have helped him along his academic journey and broaden his perspective of the world.

“My freshmen year I also started to immerse myself in campus life and the culture of IU East,” Hootman said.

Part of the immersion was for Hootman to join several clubs on campus. He is also an Admissions Ambassador, works for the Office of External Affairs, a peer mentor, a First-Year Seminar mentor, and a member of the Student Government Association (SGA). He shared his clinical experiences and his recent nursing immersion trip to Detroit, Michigan, to help the homeless population by providing screenings and vaccines.

He thanked donors for their help in making student experiences and opportunities possible.

“Overall, I have loved every second here at IU East, and I would not change a thing about my time here,” Hootman said. “I have made lifelong friends and had amazing experiences that I will never forget.”

Rylie Gearhart is from West Alexandria, Ohio. She is a senior elementary education major, and the first recipient of the Eugene Cruz Uribe ‘Go Pack Go’ Memorial Scholarship. Currently, Gearhart is completing her student teaching requirements with Richmond Community Schools at Crestdale Elementary this fall and then Fairview Elementary in the spring.

Gearhart shared how humble she was to receive the memorial scholarship, and she thanked Chancellor Emeritus Kathy Girten for establishing the scholarship in honor of her late husband and IU East faculty member, Gene Cruz-Uribe. She recalled as a freshman attending the Spirit of Philanthropy and sitting at the chancellor’s table with her family. “When I have shared with faculty that I am the recipient of the Gene Cruz-Uribe Scholarship, they almost always tell me how equally wonderful, selfless, and dedicated Gene was in the field of higher education. With the financial contribution of this scholarship, I have been able to pursue my degree. Now that it is my senior year, I wonder where my time has gone at IU East.”

Gearhart is an Admissions Ambassador, a First-Year Seminar peer mentor, a peer mentor, and she has worked with External Affairs during several campus events. She is a member of the SGA. Gearhart also published her story, Indeed Blondes Can Read, in IU East’s W131 textbook with Melissa Blankenship, senior lecturer of English.

“IU East is more than a university; it is a community of individuals who want nothing more than to watch students succeed. Faculty members want students to be involved and grow personally and professionally. I have had many opportunities to do just that,” Gearhart said.

Varsha Chutkan is from Riverview, Florida. She is an online student majoring in mathematics. Chutkan joined the luncheon through a video recording to share her experience as a transfer student after continuing to pursue her degree after her marriage ended following domestic violence, a divorce, and withdrawing from her previous university under special circumstances.

Chutkan said she previously tried to return to college without giving herself time to heal emotionally until 2021 when she found IU East’s online degree in mathematics. “In the middle of the pandemic, and as a way to ease myself back into the social world, it was almost too perfect. Yet at the time of my acceptance into the program, I could have never predicted how IU East would actually change my life,” Chutkan said.

As an online student, Chutkan has been involved on campus through Upswing, a Supplemental Instruction program, and helps to tutor students. She is also a peer mentor for incoming calculus students.

“Today, here I am,” Chutkan said. “As a supplemental instruction leader, I get to work closely with fellow students and give them their best chance at a notoriously difficult class. It has been the most fulfilling thing I have done in my academic career, and it has confirmed that I want to go the distance and become a college professor myself.”

Chutkan also hoped to discourage any stigma associated with an online degree program offered through IU East. She said the online program is personable, allowing every opportunity to work with faculty and peers as well as to be challenged academically.

“I have been able to form real connections with the staff and faculty here,” Chutkan said.

To close, Chutkan thanked donors for their contributions toward scholarships. As a recipient of a scholarship this fall, she said she would not be able to finish her last year without the gift of a scholarship. In the spring, she is planning on exploring an undergraduate research project.

“Thank you, IU East, for awarding me a scholarship this year, that was almost make or break for me this financially. I wouldn’t be here this semester without it,” Chutkan said. “I appreciate every person I have met here and every opportunity I have had here that motivates me to keep walking this fortuitous path out of the darkness. Though I am not physically there with you all, I am there in spirit. I hope to see many of you in person at the 2023 graduation ceremony.”