Students, donors gather to shine light on value of scholarships, Northwest experiences during annual Powering Dreams event

Northwest Missouri State University students came face-to-face Friday with the alumni and friends who support them through their contributions to University scholarships during the annual Powering Dreams celebration of donors and scholars at the Agricultural Learning Center.

The celebration provides an opportunity for students to thank donors for their investment while exchanging stories about their experiences at Northwest and their career goals.

“This is an incredibly special day,” Dr. Rose Marie Ward, Northwest’s provost and vice president of academic affairs, said during her introductory remarks. “Many of you in this room have had doors open because someone was generous. Many of you in this room have had new experiences because someone was generous. Many of you in this room have gotten to do things that you would not have done because someone was generous. Those are our students.”

In thanking donors, Ward added, “You made a sacrifice to open that door. You made a sacrifice so somebody could experience college in a new way, so that someone could go to college and find out what Northwest really was. That put them on a trajectory for the next course.”

Friday’s event also featured a panel of scholarship recipients discussing their Northwest experiences – from their choice of academic majors to favorite courses and instructors.

“I decided to come to Northwest largely for the people and the faculty,” said Kaden Jones, a senior instrumental music education major from Bethany, Missouri. “I had some friends that were also instrumental music ed majors, and they spoke way highly of this program, and I just had this feeling, and I was like, ‘This is the place. This is going to be home.’’

Added Bailey Robinson, a junior mathematics and data science major, who also is a member of the Bearcat cross country and track teams, “I chose Northwest because of the community. I just fell in love with the coaches, the team, all of the people here. It was very opening, and it was like a big warm hug you were walking into, and I just knew from day one that this was my place.”

Noah Cornelius, a senior special education and elementary education major from Warrenville, Illinois, said he picked Northwest as his college destination because he wanted an environment that was different from the one where he grew up.

“Coming from the Chicago suburbs, which is a much more populated area, I’d never really lived in a rural place before, and I was looking for a medium-sized ed school that would see me as a professional and give me the experiences I needed to be a successful educator,” Cornelius said.

Keira Brown came to Northwest from Centurion, South Africa, after learning about the University during a presentation at her high school. She is studying biochemistry at Northwest, in addition to volunteering at a local hospital. She is planning to attend medical school after completing her bachelor’s degree.

“My family and I sat down, and we went to the Northwest homepage, and it opens up to this beautiful campus with the arboretum, and we clicked on the initial video, and it’s all about day one and how Northwest is there for you from day one,” Brown recalled. “At the end of the video, my parents looked at me, and they’re like, ‘Keira, we think you should become a Bearcat,’ and the rest is history.”

Jones – a recipient of the Martha Faye (Fouts) Woollums Music Scholarship and the Marvin D & William L Combs Memorial Scholarship – said he chose to pursue I instrumental music education for the ways it can unite people.

“The goal, in the end, is to make music as an ensemble,” he said. “And not only just making music, but it also helps further life skills – learning how to push through hardships, learning how to devote your time to a specific craft and learning how to better yourself by following step-by-step processes. All of those really appeal to me.”

Describing Northwest in one word

Asked to describe Northwest with one word, Robinson – a recipient of the Thomas Webb Harvey Memorial Scholarship and the Forrest G and Joan B Lowe Scholarship – called it “loving.”

“Everyone I’m surrounded by loves what they’re doing, but then they love helping others as well – not just being selfish with it,” Robinson said. “And I love what I’m doing as well.”

Brown, who received the Mary Marie Smith Scholarship and the Gweldon Long Family Scholarship, called her Northwest experience “eye-opening.”

“Without having come to Northwest, I would not be the amazing person that I am now,” she said. “I wouldn’t have developed all the fantastic skills or been able to put myself in these opportunities to learn and be grateful for what I have. So it really changed my life, and it opened my eyes that the world is so much bigger than what we think it is.”

Giving the final answer, Cornelius – who received the Joseph F Ryan, Ph.D., and Rosalie Ryan, B.S.N., Scholarship and the Mattie Jo (Payne) Groom Scholarship – called Northwest “personalized.”

“The professors and all of the faculty here really do care about what you wanna do,” he said. “You’re not just some number to them. They take it personally to help you and get you to where you wanna go.”

The value of scholarships at Northwest

Scholarship support remains a central mission of the Northwest Foundation, which funded more than 1,500 scholarship awards for Northwest students during the last fiscal year.

Scholarship funding through the Foundation during FY26 totaled more than $1.55 million, while the average scholarship amount awarded from donor-funded scholarships during the year was $1,068.66. Additionally, the Foundation facilitated the creation of 12 endowed scholarships, established through gifts totaling a minimum of $25,000.

For more information about ways to contribute to scholarships or make a gift to support Northwest, contact the Office of University Advancement at 660.562.1248 or advance@nwmissouri.edu.