New Scholarships
Whittier Civic Scholars
Established in 2024 with the City of Whittier, which has made an unprecedented pledge of $200,000, the Whittier Civic Scholars Program (WCSP) pairs scholarship recipients with civic, community, and business leaders. WCSP is committed to community-driven initiatives and will support a cohort of ten newly admitted students from Whittier Union High School District, local Whittier private schools, or homeschooled Whittier residents with a $5,000 scholarship from the City of Whittier, plus a $5,000 matching scholarship from Whittier College.
Bilingual Authorization Program Scholarship
The Bilingual Authorization Program (BILA) Scholarship provides financial aid for up to five students a year in the BILA program.
Elizabeth Lucas Family Scholarship
Established through the generosity of Elizabeth Lucas ’58, a calligrapher, artist, author, and former biology teacher, this scholarship is directed toward a biology student with financial need.
Paul Moore and Allison Moore-Smith Teaching Scholarship Award
The Paul Moore and Allison Moore-Smith Teaching Scholarship Award was made possible by Paul Moore '68 and his daughter Allison Moore-Smith '00 for students going into teaching at the primary or secondary school level.
Public Service Support Scholarship
Established by John Hall '67, the Public Service Scholarship will benefit students who have financial need, show interest and engagement in public service, and express a commitment to continue the vocation after graduation. Priority will be given to students who are currently or recently employed in public service (including military), first-generation college students, or first- or second-generation U.S. residents.
Stanley Michael Majowicz ’69 Endowed Scholarship
Established through the estate of Philadelphian Stanley Michael Majowicz ’69, this scholarship is for political science majors.
Thomas and Frances Kiley Endowed Scholarship Fund
Two to five scholarships per year are awarded to students in the humanities, with preference given to English majors, who are transferring to Whittier College after one or two years at another institute of higher education or who will be at least 30 years old on their initial enrollment at Whittier College. Professor Anne Kiley established the scholarship to honor her parents.
Foundations
Mellon Foundation Grant Supports Exploration of Brown Identities at Whittier College
Last year, Whittier College received $500,000 from the Mellon Foundation for the faculty-led project, “The Poet StoryLab: Narrative, Community, and the Transformative Possibilities of Brown Storytelling.”
Using a wide range of storytelling methodologies such as oral history projects, virtual and augmented reality story experiences, creative writing, and podcasting, this effort seeks to investigate the historical evolution of an intersectional “brown” identity in the U.S. Led by Associate Professor of Art History Kate Palmer Albers, Professor of Art Danny Jauregui, and Professor of History José Orozco, the Poet StoryLab is jointly managed by the art and history departments working in close collaboration with Wardman Library and the Office of Civic Engagement and Experiential Learning.
This grant is the result of Mellon’s Higher Learning open call inviting proposals that explore three distinct categories — Civic Engagement and Voting Rights, Race and Racialization in the United States, and Social Justice and the Literary Imagination — to help illuminate the significance of voting rights controversies in U.S. history from different perspectives; demonstrate the complex import of race and racialization within U.S. culture and society; and highlight the role of the literary imagination in making and remaking worlds and societies.
The Peel Appeal
This year, in honor of the installation of Kristine Dillon '73 as Whittier's 16th President and an optimistic new chapter in the College's history, John and Laurie Peel challenge all previous Whittier donors to give their most significant gift yet.
The Peels are leading by example and committing to contribute $160,000. They have made special arrangements for their gift to be paid over four years, first through monthly electronic transfers (ACH) and later by designating the required minimum distribution from John's retirement plan to Whittier.
In addition to the gifts they are making to Whittier Now!, the Peels have provided documentation to the College indicating that the Wonder Woman Scholarship they established in 2019 will be fully endowed through a bequest upon their passing. This means that future students are guaranteed to benefit from their generosity. For information about how to give through your IRA, go to Whittier College's What to Give page.
The Philadelphian Society comprises generous individuals like the Peels who have made estate commitments or entered into lifetime trust and annuity contracts with Whittier College.
Learn more at the Whittier Legacy website.