{"id":872,"date":"2020-03-02T16:48:27","date_gmt":"2020-03-03T00:48:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/give-s\/?post_type=stories&p=872"},"modified":"2020-05-09T13:25:40","modified_gmt":"2020-05-09T20:25:40","slug":"alumna-donor-encourages-students-to-pursue-their-dreams","status":"publish","type":"stories","link":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/give\/news\/alumna-donor-encourages-students-to-pursue-their-dreams\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumna Donor Encourages Students to Pursue Their Dreams"},"content":{"rendered":"

EWU Alumna Donor Uses Endowment to Encourage Students to Pursue Their Dream<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barbara Shields knew, fresh out of high school in 1947, that she wanted to earn a university degree. Her plan? Work for a little while and then go to college. But sometimes people find that perfect workplace fit, even on their first go-round. So it was for Shields at the tender age of 17.<\/p>\n

\u201cI loved the work as a long-distance operator,\u201d says Shields, who is now retired after decades working for Pacific Northwest Bell. \u201cAnd the telephone company loved me. They promoted me, I was supervising and instructing by the fall of 1947.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even with a successful and well-loved career, however, Shields never let her desire to earn a college degree sputter. And in 1992, at the age of 62, she proudly walked across the Eastern Washington University commencement stage to receive her bachelor\u2019s degree\u2014teaching us all a little something about never letting go of our dreams.<\/p>\n

It Is Never Too Late to Earn a Degree<\/strong><\/p>\n

Barbara Shields did not plan to use her EWU degree to land a job, or even advance her career at Pacific Northwest Bell. After all, in the decades she had worked there, she had moved up from long-distance operator to personnel consultant and employment interviewer. But as much as she loved her job, she also loved to learn.<\/p>\n

Nearing retirement, Shields took the telecommunications company up on its tuition reimbursement program that encouraged employees to obtain college degrees. She started with Eastern\u2019s Portfolio Development Course in the Interdisciplinary Studies Program. EWU accepted her credits from classes she took years before at Spokane Community College and Washington State University, and awarded her additional credits for her work experience.<\/p>\n

Soon she found herself graduating magna cum laude with an EWU bachelor\u2019s degree in general studies. That same year, she retired from the phone company.<\/p>\n

Making a Difference in Retirement<\/strong><\/p>\n

Retirement doesn\u2019t mean all rest and relaxation for this Eastern grad.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love volunteering through Telephone Pioneers, a nonprofit charitable organization,\u201d says Shields. Telephone Pioneers, made up of both active and retired employees in the telecommunications industry, aims to serve the needs of communities nationwide. Shields also enjoys spending her golden years volunteering for Interlake School in Medical Lake, Coats for Kids, Bloomsday, Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery, Ronald McDonald House and many more.<\/p>\n

Her desire to give back would also lead to a way to help EWU students pursue successful careers and contribute to society. \u201cEWU Foundation was in my will,\u201d Shields says, \u201cbut when<\/p>\n

my broker suggested a charitable gift annuity that would pay a substantial amount every year, I decided to endow a scholarship while I\u2019m still alive to see students benefit from it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2008, she established two separate endowments. One funds two undergraduate student scholarships each year; the other two graduate student scholarships each year.<\/p>\n

\u201cI got motivated to help others because there\u2019s so much need and there\u2019s so many wonderful young people who just need a hand up,\u201d says Shields.<\/p>\n

Making a Difference for Eastern Students<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hannah Seagrave is one of those wonderful young people. In 2013, EWU awarded Seagrave the Barbara Shields Graduate Scholarship so she could pursue a master\u2019s degree in communications. She graduated in 2015 and is now a lecturer in Eastern\u2019s Communication Studies Department, where she teaches a variety of courses\u2014from Public Speaking to Topics in Leadership and Strategic Communication.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy being able to give back to my alma mater and invest in the growing EWU Eagles community,\u201d says Seagrave, who currently serves as a member of the Cheney Lions Club and has a long history of community service.<\/p>\n

Service is a purpose both Seagrave and Shields value. \u201cA degree is one part of a career, a career is one aspect of a life, and a life is one contributing member of a much bigger community,\u201d says Seagrave. \u201cThis is what I am reminded of when I see Barbara.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seagrave says her relationship with Shields goes well beyond that of a faceless donor and scholarship recipient. The two met in 2014, when EWU surprised Shields with the dedication of a remodeled, state-of-the-art communications studies classroom and media presentation lab named in Shields\u2019 honor. And because Shields stays actively involved in EWU, Seagraves says they see each other often. They even enjoy volunteering together.<\/p>\n

For Shields, establishing relationships with her scholarship recipients is important. Each year she is invited to meet the newest award winners. \u201cIt just does your heart good to meet these people and see how appreciative they are of the little bit of help that I can give,\u201d says Shields.<\/p>\n

But as Seagrave points out, the help Shields provides Eastern students is anything but little.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first, her gift was primarily the financial stability she offered,\u201d says Seagrave. \u201cBut as I continue to move forward in my career, I gain a deeper appreciation for Barbara\u2019s insightful generosity. Barbara gave me purpose. I received support and encouragement from a stranger, and now, fond friend. This was the catalyst for my success as both Barbara and EWU had taken a personal interest in my education.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

By establishing an endowed scholarship, you too can impact the lives of students in a deep and meaningful way. There is a scholarship option for all types of donors. EWU is committed to accommodating the preferences of our donors and they support our students.<\/p>\n

Talk with a member of the EWU Foundation to learn more.<\/p>\n

509.359.7099<\/a>
\newufoundation@ewu.edu<\/a>
\newu.edu\/give<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

EWU Alumna Donor Uses Endowment to Encourage Students to Pursue Their Dream Barbara Shields knew, fresh out of high school in 1947, that she wanted to earn a university degree. Her plan? Work for a little while and then go to college. But sometimes people find that perfect workplace fit, even on their first go-round.…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":423,"featured_media":882,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-872","stories","type-stories","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","stories_categories-impact-of-gifts"],"acf":{"featured_video":"","subheading":"","display_byline":false,"display_date_published":false,"Links":false,"Resources":[{"stories_resources_link":{"title":"Barbara Shields & Hannah Seagrave","url":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/give\/stories\/barbara-shields-hannah-seagrave\/","target":""}},{"stories_resources_link":{"title":"Lifetime Achievement Award, 2018 Alumni","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5R24BbVrdcg","target":"_blank"}},{"stories_resources_link":{"title":"2018 Alumni Awards Album","url":"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/ewuphoto\/albums\/72157667086921667","target":"_blank"}}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories\/872","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/stories"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/423"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories\/872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81459,"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stories\/872\/revisions\/81459"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/882"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test-www.ewu.edu\/give\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}