Join fellow alumni, friends and community members on Friday, April 20 for an unforgettable night benefiting student scholarships. Held at the grand Royal Park Hotel in downtown Rochester, the 2012 Grizzly Gala will include a silent auction with some fantastic items including: a Windy City Weekend Getaway, tickets to the Ellen DeGeneres show, a dream vacation accommodations package and the ultimate Tigers Fan Experience. Gala tickets are $100 each and include valet parking, a strolling dinner, delicious desserts, full open bar and live entertainment by the Zero Balance Band.
Proceeds from the ticket and auction sales will directly benefit the OUAA Scholarship Program. To date, the OUAA has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to qualified OU students. The funding for these scholarships is provided through generous donations by alumni and community members, as well as revenue earned from OUAA programs and events such as the Grizzly Gala. In 2011 alone, the OUAA awarded nearly $90,000 in scholarships to 39 OU students.
Emily Tissot, a senior at OU double majoring in anthropology and Spanish, is one of those scholarship recipients. “Scholarships impact students - this is an obvious statement - but I never knew how much it would affect my college education,” she commented. “Because of the College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Affiliate Award, I have been able to get more involved in the life of the university, including creating and presiding over the OU Spanish Club; serving as a Student Liaison to the Board of Trustees; and working as a resident assistant in the OU residence halls.”
Emily will proudly graduate from Oakland in April. Soon after, she will move to New Orleans where she has been accepted into Tulane University’s International Public Health and Disaster Relief master’s program. “I look forward to the day when I can return to Oakland to give back a little of what has been given to me,” she said.
To support the scholarship program and help more students like Emily, please join us for the Grizzly Gala Scholarship Fundraising Auction! For a full list of exciting auction items and to register, visit the event registration page. The registration deadline is April 11. If you cannot attend the event, but would still like to support the scholarship program, please visit oakland.edu/give.