Dayton Alumni Scholarship

The Dayton Alumni Scholarship was established in 2013 to keep our heritage alive—the 85 years of our Dayton Campus history from 1875 to 1960.

The alumni who graduated from the Dayton Campus were a close community, as there were only a few hundred students enrolled. The classes were small and everyone knew each other.

In 1875, the university was founded as Shenandoah High School in Dayton, Virginia. The following year, the school was renamed Shenandoah Seminary and was affiliated with the Virginia Conference of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ.

During the next 85 years, the institution changed names five times but always kept “Shenandoah” as part of its name. In 1946, The Church of the United Brethren in Christ became part of the Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) Church, and a study group recommended closing Shenandoah College and Shenandoah Conservatory of Music because of its financial instability. However, rather than closing the school, after becoming president in 1956, Dr. Forrest S. Racey oversaw the move to Winchester.

Ground was broken for the new Winchester Campus in 1958 with two buildings — the Armstrong Building to house the conservatory and the Gregory Building to house the college and administrative offices. The last classes in Dayton began in the fall of 1959 with an enrollment of 159 students. Shenandoah opened its doors in Winchester in September 1960. A grand celebration was held in 2010 to commemorate our 50th anniversary in Winchester.

Eligibility requirements

The applicant must be enrolled the next academic year/semester and preference will be given to a junior or senior at Shenandoah University.
It is recommended that the applicant shall have achieved a college grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
The applicant must show involvement in extracurricular activities and community service and have clear career goals.
The applicant must demonstrate financial need. (Submitted current FAFSA form.)
Consideration will be given to relatives of Dayton alumni — those who attended Shenandoah University when the school was located in Dayton, Virginia between 1875 and 1960.
The applicant must agree to send a letter of thanks to the Dayton Alumni Scholarship Committee and personally thank the donors during a campus event

Dayton Alumni Scholarship Application

Applicants for the Dayton Alumni Scholarship must complete this application and provide one letter of recommendation (excluding immediate family). The letters should address the applicant’s character, community involvement, work ethic and future potential.

Please have recommendation letters emailed to alums@su.edu.
Name * Required
First Last
Address * Required
Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country
Phone * Required
Email * Required
Enter Email Confirm Email
Current GPA * Required
What year did you graduate high school? * Required
Are you currently a: * Required
- First Year
- Sophomore
- Junior
- Senior
What is your major? * Required
What is your minor?
What degree do you anticipate earning at Shenandoah? * Required
When do you anticipate graduating from Shenandoah? * Required
Please limit your responses to one or two paragraphs.
Are you related to or do you know someone who attended Shenandoah University in 1960 or before? If so, list their name and relationship. Are you from the Dayton, Va. area? * Required
How will receiving this scholarship help you? Explain your financial need. * Required
List three important facts about Shenandoah University’s history. * Required
What are your career goals? Explain why this area of study is important to you and your career plans after graduation. * Required
Describe your involvement in extracurricular and community activities. * Required
If you believe you have a responsibility or calling to serve God, or to serve your fellow man, explain what you think that responsibility or calling is. * Required
A requirement is that you meet with the donors who contributed to this scholarship. Can you commit to this? List three highlights about yourself that you will share. * Required
Please share additional comments to strengthen your application.

2021 Recipient

Brianna Turner ’20
Bachelor of Business Administration

Brianna Turner

Brianna Turner is a student in the School of Business, who is majoring in management and marketing while also studying pre-law with her minor. Brianna is very involved with extracurricular activities at Shenandoah, which include serving as the SGA vice president of undergraduate affairs, a First Year Seminar Mentor, a member of Alpha Lambda Delta, a summer orientation leader, a member of the First Bank student advisory council and a member of the School of Business student advisory council. She was also a three-year member of the women’s basketball team. She also volunteers her time in the Winchester community with organizations like Food Recovery Network, Girls on the Run, Rise Against Hunger, and the Winchester Area Temporary Thermal Shelter (WATTS). Brianna got accepted to Widener University Delaware Law School in Wilmington, Delaware. She will be completing a dual JD-MBA program, which means she would earn both a Juris Doctor degree and a Master of Business Administration degree. She can see herself becoming an attorney in the future.

2020 Recipient

Jasmine Lockwood ’22
Jazz Studies

Jasmine

Jasmine is a student at Shenandoah Conservatory and majoring in jazz studies. She has been involved in the conservatory’s Jazz and Trombone Ensemble since her first year. She has participated in the Harambee Gospel Choir, performing at multiple events throughout campus. Jasmine has traveled to various high schools around Winchester and performed at different trombone festivals with the Trombone Ensemble. She has participated in events like SU’s Jazz-a-thon and Mid-Atlantic Trombone Alliance. With this scholarship, Jasmine has been able to continue her studies and develop as a musician. Jasmine plans on joining the AirForce after graduating from college, then returning to school for her master’s degree.

2019 Recipient

Victoria Moore ’19
Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Victoria Moore is a student in the Eleanor Wade Custer School of Nursing. Victoria is involved in the Student Nursing Association, the Nurse’s Christian Fellowship and Sigma Theta Tau. She also volunteered at the 25th annual Valley Health Community Wellness Festival on Feb. 23, 2019, at the Apple Blossom Mall in Winchester, Virginia. Over the course of her time at Shenandoah, Victoria has mentored peers, volunteered and participated in professional development conferences. Additionally, she worked as a certified nursing assistant at Winchester Medical Center. In her first semester at Shenandoah, Victoria studied abroad over the summer in Argentina and improved her proficiency in Spanish. All of these factors have contributed to a well-rounded education for Victoria at Shenandoah. After graduation, she will work in the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Victoria plans to gain one or two years of work experience and then pursue her doctorate as a Nurse Practitioner.

2018 Recipient

Kelli Hess ‘18
Bachelor of Music in Music Education

Kelli Hess received a Bachelor of Music degree in music education in 2018. While at Shenandoah, Kelli was the President of Students Advancement Relations Society (STARS), and also played saxophone in one of the scenes in Santa Girl, a film shot on campus. She is now a music teacher at Mt. Airy Elementary School in Mt. Airy, Maryland. With her scholarship, Kelli was able to take incredible music and academic courses to further her education. Learning is something that she has always loved to do, and having the financial aid made it possible. Kelli was able to earn a music education degree, and can now share her passion for music with young musicians.

2017 Recipient

Allison Kleffman ’15, ’18

2016 Recipient

Ryan Parker ’15
Bachelor of Science in Psychology
Minor in Biology

Becoming an occupational therapist is important to Ryan because he wants to work with mentally and physically handicapped people to help them enjoy the highest possible quality of life. In high school he worked with special needs students and was a Special Olympics coach. His goal is to work in pediatric rehab or with disabled veterans.

When Ryan graduated in 2015, he was honored by his SU professors, coaches and administrators when he received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award. The award is the highest accolade a student may receive. It recognizes a student who has made significant contributions to the university and the community by going above and beyond the classroom.

Ryan also excels in his studies. He is currently a master’s student in the Occupational Therapy Program and anticipates graduating in 2017. He is also a Presidential Scholar which is the university’s highest academic honor. According to a campus administrator, Ryan has a wonderful reputation on campus and is known to the students as someone who will always support them.

2015 Recipient

Brittani Dodson ’15
Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Brittani has accepted a position in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the University of Virginia Children’s Hospital following graduation. She hopes to go on to achieve certification as a pediatric or neonatal nurse practitioner, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice. “Ever since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to work in the medical field after growing up with a very close cousin of mine who had many health problems. Then when she passed away during my senior year of high school, I immediately knew that I wanted to become a nurse, to one day, take care of children.” Brittani has been an involved student while at Shenandoah, serving as president of the Student Nurses Association in 2014, has been inducted into the Alpha Lambda Delta honor society and the Virginia Iota chapter of Alpha Chi. She works part-time, is a student tutor and serves as the student representative of the School of Nursing academic curriculum committee and student affairs committee. She traveled to Panama with the Global Citizenship Project in 2013, volunteering in orphanages. She has since returned to Panama for two more trips, continuing to work with orphanages and children with special needs.

I am sincerely thankful for the Dayton Alumni Scholarship, as it has helped me in so many ways. Becoming a nurse has always been a dream of mine, and this scholarship has helped me accomplish that dream. I have been able to put my entire focus on becoming the best nurse that I can be, without being concerned about the financial aspect of attending undergraduate school.”

2014 Recipient

Madison Armstrong ’15
Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications
Minors in English and Women’s Studies

Madison aspires to be a travel journalist. Through Shenandoah’s Global Citizenship Project and First Year Seminar, she developed a taste for travel and hopes to work exposing global injustices.

As a student, Madison juggles working part-time at a local coffee shop, doing work study in the SU Swap Shop, completing internships and volunteering. She served as the intern for the Office of Alumni Affairs during the summer and fall of 2014. She has volunteered with Generosity Feeds, an organization out of Northern Virginia and the Laurel Center, a shelter for abused women in Winchester.

Madison believes her purpose on Earth is to serve others, particularly women suffering around the globe.

As a student putting myself through undergrad, I am inexpressibly grateful for both the monetary and emotional support given to me by both the Dayton Alumni and our Alumni Affairs Association.”