As I brush my teeth in the morning I often look in the mirror and ask myself “Brittany P. Tomlinson what do you want to be known for?” Some days I want my legacy to involve talking to teenage girls about their true self-worth and beauty in Christ. Other days I fancy being remembered as a dancing queen in Songfest. Not once to be honest has the thought “I want part of my legacy to include financially giving back to Pepperdine as a senior.”
The majority of my fellow senior colleagues also probably feel that student loans are more than enough reason not to donate. Or whether it is Greek dues other senior events or rent our bank accounts already give money to supporting life at Pepperdine. Money from the Senior Legacy Campaign is different however.
Humor me for a moment and think back to your favorite memory of Pepperdine. Whether it is a specific organization on campus that changed your life or losing your voice from cheering at one of our sports games while your face was painted blue and orange think about what made the experience so special. Maybe your favorite memory includes the dance parties and Frosh Follies events from NSO or an experience overseas at an International Program or possibly a campus ministries retreat that made a lasting impact on you. Now think of the opportunity for you to give that same experience memory or feeling to another student. That is part of the heart of the Senior Legacy Campaign.
This is not a campaign about taking money from jobless in-debt seniors. Rather it is a campaign about bettering Pepperdine for our future Wave family members. Established in 1989 the Senior Legacy Campaign is a student-led effort to raise funds for Pepperdine and leave a legacy for the future Pepperdine community.
In past years donated funds from participating seniors were pooled together to buy a gift for the University such as a bench on campus. Though sitting areas on campus to enjoy the view are great this year the SLC committee decided to change the gift process. Now in place of all participants donating to one gift seniors have the power to decide exactly where their money goes.
Maybe the new Campus Life Project creates a twinkle in your eye? You can be a part of that project by donating specifically to it. Perhaps your life was changed by the opportunity to receive a scholarship and you want to donate money to that scholarship to help give that opportunity to another student; here is your chance.
Donating through the Senior Legacy Campaign also directly benefits the donor. First it gets your name written on a huge poster board and in the program at graduation. As if the benefits could not get any better than that donating will help our standing in virtually every national ranking. Part of our ranking hinges on our alumni giving and Pepperdine currently has a very low alumni giving rate. Your donation to the Senior Legacy Campaign falls into the “alumni giving” category. So essentially donating through this campaign increases the prestige of your degree.
It is the percentage of alumni who donate that matters not how much they donate. More simply 20 students donating $2 each matters more than one student donating $40. While foregoing the latte for a day so that you can donate $4 to any area of interest may mean dealing with a caffeine headache today it has lasting positive implications.
I can just feel your excitement as you can hardly wait to donate. You can do so by visiting our website at http://seaver.pepperdine.edu/seniorchallenge/ or by filling out a form you will find in your mailbox.
Though I may not ask myself about my legacy every morning I do know I want to be known as a Wave who cared for future Waves. I want to continue pouring into future generations of Waves even after I leave campus. All of this is possible by donating through the Senior Legacy Campaign.