March 15, 2005

Class of 2005 Announces Sept. 11 Scholarship Fund

By Jamie L. Freedman

Just days after arriving at GW to begin their freshman year, the Class of 2005 experienced the horrors of Sept. 11, 2001 — a time that will forever be etched in their memories. Now seniors, the class recently voted to create the “Class of 2005 Sept. 11, 2001, Scholarship Fund,” recognizing and honoring the courage of the men and women who served our country on that unfathomable day, and who continue to serve.

The gift establishes a scholarship to be awarded annually to a rising senior who is in active military service, a veteran, a first responder, or the son or daughter of one of those individuals. The Class of 2005 also plans to place a memorial flag and plaque in the Smith Center memorializing the victims and heroes of the attacks.

“Sept. 11, 2001, had a profound impact on us, both as individuals and as a class,” said Chrissy Trotta, co-coordinator of the senior class gift. “I’d been on campus for just five days when the attacks occurred. In the absence of our families on that terrible day, our class members were drawn together and developed a strong sense of community here at GW very quickly. It was a life-changing experience that made us all grow up a little bit faster, and continues to be a poignant memory that members of the Class of 2005 will carry with them for the rest of our lives. We were tied together by 9/11, which is why we came out in such strong force in favor of this gift.”

According to Trotta, some 1,200 seniors — comprising half of the senior class —participated in the gift theme selection process, the overwhelming majority of them casting their votes online via GW portal in favor of the Sept. 11, 2001, theme. So far, the students have raised more than $10,000 toward the scholarship. “Our goal is to raise $30,000,” said Trotta, a political science and history major, who is spearheading the effort with finance major Lee Roupas. “The University has given us so much over the past four years. It’s important for us to give something back and to leave a legacy for future classes.”

Anyone interested in making a contribution to the Sept. 11, 2001, Scholarship Fund can E-mail the gift committee at srclass@gwu.edu or access their Web site at www.gwu.edu/give2gw.

Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu