Meet Yu

Meet Amy

Amy is a renewal Rankin Foundation Scholar enrolled at Wilmington University pursuing her Bachelor’s in Game Design & Development and Web Design. Six years ago, Amy was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis causing her to lose her job. At this time her son was facing challenges with social and emotional disabilities and her daughter was struggling with anxiety and an eating disorder. She realized she needed to do something in order to continue to support her family. She decided on game development as she would be able to eventually work from home in order to best accommodate her MS. She believes games are an exceptional tool in education and hopes to publish an animal game that teaches responsibility and genetics.

“A Bachelor’s degree will enable me to find good employment again. Not only that, but as I build educational games I want to form my own company. I hope to be able to hire other disabled people and provide jobs for them. I have come to know firsthand the struggle someone with a chronic illness or physical disability can have finding employment. I want to change that, and hopefully, I will build a legacy in which I can involve my children and my community.”

Meet Jana

Jana is a renewal Rankin Foundation Scholar enrolled at Walsh College of Accountancy and Business Administration pursuing a Bachelors in Cyber Security/Computer Science. Jana has been faced with incredible hardship throughout her adult life. Shortly after enrolling in college after graduating from high school, Jana’s mother took her own life. This traumatic time resulted in Jana dropping out of school, having children and entering the workforce without completing her education. She is a survivor of suicide and a survivor of domestic abuse. Jana truly has overcome the world to continue her education. She hopes to move up in her job at DTE Energy in the Engineering Department. Jana knows the value of her education and wants to continue on to get her Master’s in Computer Science once she has established her career.

“The Jeannette Rankin Scholar Grant has helped me immensely. I am, and will forever be grateful for being a recipient. The Scholar Grant has enabled me to continue in school due to lack of funds. Now that I am getting closer to graduating my kids see that a degree is possible. My daughter has finished her undergraduate degree in business and is now working on her Master’s degree. We are very proud of each other. I am reaching down in my soul and finding my inner strength for this degree.”

Meet Amanda

Amanda is a renewal Rankin Foundation Scholar currently working towards her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education at Ohio State University. Her goal is to become a teacher. Amanda graduated high school early in order to pursue college but later dropped out in order to become a stay-at-home mom. Since then she has faced many trials and tribulations. Amanda’s first husband struggled with addiction and became abusive. She and her two daughters escaped and are now safe. Amanda’s oldest daughter has struggled with mental illness. Being a teacher will allow Amanda to not only better financially support her family, but the schedule of the job will allow her to better support her daughter. Amanda knows that being a teacher is what she was put on Earth to do, and she cannot wait to make an impact in her students’ lives.

“When I debated going back to school, the biggest concern was our family’s income. I would not be able to hold down a full-time job and go to school. Adding in the amount of time that my daughter’s issues required of me, I had to choose between work or school. I took a leap of faith and trusted that we would be okay financially, even if I had to take on student loans. My Jeannette Rankin Scholar Grant had a tremendous impact on my financial situation this past year, allowing me to focus more on my schooling and family and less on the balance of my accruing student loans.”

Meet Jennifer

Jennifer is a renewal Rankin Foundation Scholar enrolled at Arkansas State University pursuing a Bachelors’s degree in Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation with an Emphasis on Wildlife. Coming out of high school, she was a typical A+ student until she was diagnosed with Lupus and Fibromyalgia. The onset of her symptoms was so severe Jennifer was unable to complete her degree. She worked for her parents for a while and became both a foster and adoptive parent. She met her husband and the two of them fostered 5 siblings. Now with her symptoms managed and her children steady, she has time to pursue her degree, so she can professionally work in the forests and better serve her community and humanity through her positive environmental efforts.

“Last semester was particularly difficult for me personally, as my son and I were both, at different times, hospitalized. I live an hour and 45 minutes from my university and 45 minutes from the nearest hospital. This grant helped me to be able to afford my commute and the materials that I needed to be able to finish my courses. It is difficult to pursue a degree and take care of your family at the same time. The Jeannette Rankin Scholar Grant has helped me to be successful in balancing both.”

Meet Dung

Dung is a renewal Rankin Foundation Scholar enrolled at Grand Canyon University pursuing a degree in Accounting. Once she receives this degree, she plans to find a job in an accounting firm. She and her family immigrated to the United States in 2015 and have since all enrolled in college. The support the Jeannette Rankin Foundation gives Dung allows her family to prioritize their higher education. After her Associate’s degree, Dung has plans to attend Arizona State University to obtain her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting.

“Thank you for your generous donations and support. I have promised myself that I will try my best to bring out the best result of every dollar you have invested in my education. I will also follow your giving-and-sharing examples to contribute to the positive changes in our society.”

Meet Maritza

Maritza is a renewal Rankin Foundation Scholar who is enrolled at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and pursuing her Bachelor’s of Arts in Spanish. She recently completed her associate’s degree and had the honor of graduating alongside her daughter. Maritza is hoping to use her degrees to become an NC Certified Court Interpreter. She wants to use her Spanish-speaking skills to support others in her community, especially within the legal system. Her education has already positively impacted her family, as she has been an incredible example to her daughters of what a college education can do. She and her older daughters are all enrolled at UNCG together and use each other as a support system. Her dedication to her family and her studies are clear when you look at her 4.0 GPA!

“Jeannette Rankin has enabled me to continue to work part-time while pursuing my degree full-time. There’s no way I would’ve been able to do that without Jeannette Rankin’s Scholar Grant.  I would have had to work full time and go to school part-time to avoid debt, and I know myself. If my options had been debt or go part-time & take forever to finish, I never would’ve gone back.”

Meet Bridget

Mother, activist and Rankin Foundation Scholar Bridget Saffold carries on her family’s
legacy of community advocacy


“I knew I wanted to be a nurse. I knew I wanted to go into healthcare, but I didn’t know I could.
As a young mom, you think you can’t do something. But I decided, I have to do it. It was the
hardest time in my life, but I stuck to it. I wanted it so bad.” – Bridget Saffold


In 1995, Bridget Saffold had just graduated high school. She was a young single mother to her
eldest son at the time, and within a few years, she got married and went on to have three more
children. By the time her children were between the ages of three and ten, Bridget was divorced
and starting over. She spent this time leaning into her community and empowering herself with
an education.


Bridget initially sought to complete her associate’s degree, but instead earned a license in
practical nursing (LPN) from Hawkeye Community College in Waterloo, Iowa, in 2007. She
ventured into the world of nursing she’d always felt drawn to and got right to work. Her LPN
allowed her to find work with a steady income and consistent schedule that she genuinely
enjoyed. This allowed her to raise her children too.


After receiving an LPN, Bridget went on to work toward her associate’s degree. The early days
of her education journey were challenging for Bridget. Money was tight, and so was time and
energy. She said that for much of the time that she was managing school, family and work, her
family went without. Still, she remembers those times fondly. Her family spent more time with
each other outside of their home, because it had no cable TV and sometimes no electricity. The
special memories created during the time she worked to secure her family’s future stay close to
her heart, and were critical to shaping the academic trajectory of future generations. She said her
family learned the value of sticking to what they set their minds to, no matter how hard it was.
And stick to it she did. After earning her associate’s degree, Bridget went on to work as a nurse.
Right away, she noticed discrepancies in care.


“When you live within the community of the people you serve, you are a part of their life at work
and outside of work,” said Bridget. “I noticed people putting their personal biases in front of
doing the work sometimes.”


She was surprised to find the patients she saw at work had so many more questions when they
ran into her at the store, rather than at the doctor’s office. She noticed too that her colleagues
would withhold information on care options based on socio-economic and racially-motivated
assumptions. The people in her world were going to the doctor and not receiving positive health
outcomes.

Because she understood that there was a problem in the care process, Bridget organized her own
nonprofit, Cedar Valley Focus on Diabetes. Determined to improve health outcomes in Iowa,
Bridget worked with the Governor’s office to create the nonprofit in 2015. She connected with
companies and doctors to provide a clinically-safe space for folks marginalized by the healthcare
system. Her community received more care at this clinic in a shorter amount of time, allowing
them to go back to the doctor and have informed, productive conversations.
By 2016, at age 40, Bridget was back in school working towards her bachelor’s degree. Bridget
was still balancing her career with school and family responsibilities. A proud Rankin
Foundation Scholar, Bridget said she deeply benefitted from the flexibility of the unrestricted
Jeannette Rankin Foundation Scholar Grant.


“Looking at the student as a whole is so important,” she remarked. “Especially for non-
traditional students, there’s more to life than just being on campus.”


For Bridget, that sometimes meant that she needed food so she could focus on school work.
Other times, she used the unrestricted Scholar Grant to gas up her car or purchase books she’d
otherwise have spent the semester managing without.


Whether she was in the classroom, in the clinic or with her children, Bridget has spent her life
bridging information gaps and empowering her own community from the inside out. She said
that if she could go back to 1995, she wouldn’t be too surprised at the victories of her advocacy
work. Bridget has always been driven by service and love for her community, and it’s a family
tradition she’s proud to carry on.


Her father operated a basketball-focused community organization and throughout his life, served
as a champion for minority youth. He pushed for state jobs to hire from within their community,
and ensured that folks knew about job openings. He was Bridget’s first model for humble service
and leadership, and Bridget is proud to honor his legacy in her own way today.


“My dad goes, ‘People need to notice and just do it. No matter how many people come, just do
it,’” said Bridget. “He understood that even if they don’t always get what they need, that doesn’t
mean you can’t take your knowledge and whatever skills you have. Everybody can do this same
thing to help build up the community around them.”

Meet Madelyn

Madelyn is enrolled at the University of Hawaii and is pursuing a Bachelor’s in Sociology. She has maintained a strong 3.86 GPA and is looking forward to graduating. Madelyn is a remarkable scholar who has managed to work and attend school full-time all while being a leader in her family. Despite having to endure a 60-mile round-trip commute to school in her 2001 Hyundai, Madelyn’s strength has allowed her to keep pushing forward to receive her education. She hopes to continue her education and attend graduate school. She plans on specializing in trauma recovery and working with survivors of domestic violence in her career. Madelyn believes that her Jeannette Rankin Scholar Grant has helped her not only financially, but socially and emotionally as well. Carrying on with her education has given her a boost of self-esteem and personal identity.

“To carry forth the torch of humanitarian ideals and to fight for justice and the rights for all humans to be treated with compassion and dignity have been my goals throughout this process. I remain true to those goals and am better equipped now to carry them out. Receiving my BA will open opportunities for me to implement these ideals with the public I will serve, and in a way that is also sustainable to me, a woman who also must support herself independently.”

Meet Ify

Ify is a social work major at Hardin-Simmons University. After graduating, she would like to open up her own preschool and eventually return to school to get her master’s degree. When Ify decided to go back to school, she found it challenging to find an affordable childcare option and is passionate about creating such an option for other families.

She says, “Rankin Foundation is investing in me now, and there will be a time when I will begin to invest in someone else, just as someone has invested in my education. I would like to be a blessing to my community. I have seen the value of helping people, so I will do the same after my graduation.”