Please consider making a gift to Bridge to the Future. This fund was established to provide financial aid assistance to students whose changing economic circumstances jeopardize their ability to continue their Marquette education. The Bridge to the Future Fund can be used for room and board, travel expenses, tuition and more. It’s an especially helpful fund when there are unforeseen situations like what we are experiencing today.
Emily Fischer, Bridge to the Future recipient.
Did you know that there are some students at risk of leaving Marquette due to financial strain? For many of these students, just a few hundred dollars could be the difference in staying at Marquette. The Bridge to the Future Fund was established to provide financial aid assistance to these students whose changing economic circumstances jeopardize their ability to continue their Marquette education.
“Receiving Bridge made me feel like I was meant to be at Marquette - all my stress was lifted,” said Emily Fischer, 2019 Bridge to the Future recipient.
Emily had planned carefully and thought her tuition was covered, but then one semester her plan fell through unexpectedly.
Her paternal grandmother has been helping her pay tuition. However, her grandma’s loan was not approved as expected. That’s when the stress set in.
“Having to drop out crossed my mind, but I would do anything to not drop out,” she said.
When Emily received an email explaining that she was chosen for the Bridge to the Future Fund, she immediately called her grandmother to share her excitement and relief.
“After receiving Bridge, I put even more of an emphasis on classes,” she said. “I’ve actually been on the Dean’s list every semester.”
Emily is a junior majoring in Biology with a minor in Psychology. She hopes to attend the Marquette University School of Dentistry after graduation.
“My Marquette education makes me proud,” Emily said. She explained that both of her parents are addicts, and she was raised by her maternal grandparents until they passed. She is now helping to raise her younger brother, while also taking a full course load. “My brother looks up to me and thinks I’m smart because I work hard, and I go to Marquette.”
Please consider designating your support to Bridge to the Future. Every dollar makes a difference to deserving students like Emily.
Richie Ortiz, Bridge to the Future recipient.
Many talented students come to Marquette facing challenges they didn’t anticipate due to financial strain. When you make a gift to the Bridge to the Future Fund, you give these students a lifeline that enables them to complete their degrees.
Richie Ortiz, a current senior, is one of these students.
“I remember being in my room at the time and noticing I got an email,” he said. The email explained that he was chosen for the Bridge to the Future Fund and that the outstanding balance on his bursar account had been paid.
In past years, Richie was able to secure loans to cover expenses, but this year he wasn’t sure how he was going to cover them.
Richie is one of four children being raised by a single mother and has been paying for college on his own. “I have been working since I was 16 years old,” he said. During his time on-campus, Richie has continued working about 15 hours per week while averaging 18 credit hours per semester. When he heard about the support he was receiving because of the Bridge to the Future Fund, relief set in.
“It’s crazy that we say just 2,000 dollars,” Richie said “because to me, that’s a lot of money, and it’s a huge load off my shoulders going into my final year.” For some Marquette students, that dollar amount is the difference between graduating from Marquette and not returning to campus next semester. The Bridge to the Future Fund was established to help students like Richie through situations that could impact their ability to stay at Marquette.
Richie is majoring in Advertising with a minor in Digital Media and will graduate in May of 2020. He is immensely grateful to Marquette donors for not only helping him, but for helping his family, and he can’t wait to pay-it-forward after graduation.
“I hope to be in a position one day to help other students.”
Mark Flom, Bridge to the Future recipient
There are some who are at risk of not being able to return to campus next semester due to financial strain.
Mark Flom was one of those students.
It was 2009 and he was halfway through his sophomore year at Marquette. “That’s when it got scary,” Mark said.
When the recession hit in 2008, Mark’s father lost his job and began doing repair work for family and friends to help pay for Mark’s tuition. His parents told him to just focus on school and not worry about money, but he recognized the stress and financial strain his family was experiencing.
“I was considering having to drop out,” Mark said.
He put his entire savings into his education, and he took out every loan he could, but he and his family were still going to come up short that year. Then, something life-changing happened: a check came in the mail. Mark explained the moment as phenomenal and almost miracle-like.
This blessing was called Bridge to the Future.
The Bridge to the Future Fund was established to provide financial assistance to students whose changing economic circumstances threaten their ability to continue their Marquette education.
Mark immediately called his mom, screaming on the phone in relief and joy.
The mountain wasn’t so big anymore.
Mark graduated in 2012 from the College of Engineering and is currently a manager at a large manufacturing company with over 250 direct reports. He believes he wouldn’t be in this role today if it had not been for his donors almost ten years ago.
A decade later, Mark and his family are now donors to the Bridge to the Future Fund, which is still helping students through life-changing situations that impact their ability to stay at Marquette. Please consider joining Mark and his family in making a gift today to help students like him complete their Marquette journey.
Want to explore more stories? Click here to read about a group of friends who cancelled their annual trip and donated to Marquette’s Bridge to the Future Fund instead.