D'Youville to Offer Unlimited Say Yes Scholarships

D'Youville to Offer Unlimited Say Yes Scholarships

Today, D’Youville announced a major expansion of its Say Yes to Education scholarship program. Beginning with the Spring 2020 semester D’Youville is removing the cap of scholarships available to graduates from Say Yes eligible high schools.

The move is part of D’Youville’s commitment to social mobility through higher education. Earlier this month D’Youville and Leonardo da Vinci High School held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Steelcase Active Learning Center that will serve as a living laboratory for teacher pedagogy and student learning.

D’Youville has offered ten Say Yes scholarships to applicants since 2013. Say Yes to Education is a nonprofit that revitalizes communities by helping them give public high school graduates access to higher education. D’Youville President Lorrie Clemo recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the national office of Say Yes to Education to offer an unlimited number of scholarships to students graduating from Say Yes eligible schools in Buffalo, Syracuse, and Cleveland, OH.

“I am thrilled to announce the expansion of the Say Yes Scholarship program at D’Youville. This is just one more way that we are eliminating barriers to higher education for economically disadvantaged students. All student who wish to attend a nationally ranked university such as D'Youville should be afforded that opportunity,” said Lorrie Clemo, president of D’Youville. “We want more students to take advantage of our high return on investment, which can be life-changing for our graduates,” continued Clemo.

Say Yes Buffalo Executive Director David Rust was on hand to discuss the importance of D’Youville’s decision.

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David Rust, executive director of Say Yes Buffalo, speaks at D'Youville.

“Say Yes to Education scholarships are changing the lives of public high school graduates. We are thrilled that D’Youville is offering unlimited scholarships to Say Yes graduates, including those from Buffalo, Syracuse, and Cleveland,” said Rust. “D’Youville is a nationally ranked university that offers rigorous academic programming in a supportive learning environment and we are thrilled about their continued partnership and support of our mission. So much of Say Yes to Education’s success is due to our partnerships with private colleges and universities,” Rust continued.

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Rachel Rainey '21, a nursing student and Say Yes scholar at D'Youville.

D’Youville nursing student, Rachel Rainey ’21, and Say Yes Scholar spoke about the importance of the Say Yes scholarship for her and her family.

“As a first-generation college student I am standing here today because of the Say Yes scholarship. When I graduated from Frederick Law Olmsted High School, I knew I wanted a college that offered personal attention and small classes,” said Rainey. “I applied to D’Youville because I loved the campus and direct admission into the nursing program. I have not had to take out loans for tuition and that has made all the difference for my family and me.”