Living The College Dream
First-gen student Emmely Suarez maximizes campus life thanks to a pair of benefactors seeking to make Seton Hall more financially accessible.
Emmely Suarez is a study in firsts. She was the first member of her immediate family
to be born in the United States, after her parents and two older siblings emigrated
from Ecuador 23 years ago. She’s also the first member of her family to pursue higher
education, which is why she doesn’t take any aspect of college life for granted. “Coming
to college, for a first generation student, this was like an experience straight out
of the movies,” Suarez says. “The whole dorming experience felt like something out
of a TV show.”
Dorming, of course, is expensive. A university scholarship covered most of Suarez’s
tuition, but even with that crucial assistance, the cost of living on campus remained
prohibitive. “I had to look to other scholarships for help,” she says.
Suarez, a criminal justice major on a pre-law track, was browsing the student portal
one day and stumbled on the Frank and Mimi Walsh Scholarship Fund. The fund’s benefactors,
who wanted to help make college more affordable for students with financial need,
both have Seton Hall ties: Frank E. Walsh Jr. is a former chairman of the board of
regents; his wife, Mary “Mimi” Draper Walsh, M.A. ‘88, did her graduate work in counseling
psychology at the university. The scholarship awarded in their name helps cover fees
so that students like Suarez can stay focused on academics.
To receive the Frank and Mimi Walsh Scholarship, students must be enrolled full-time, demonstrate financial need, maintain good grades, and remain in good standing with the University. The Walshes have also contributed substantially to physical improvements on campus: during Seton Hall’s Ever Forward capital campaign, they made one of the largest gifts in Seton Hall history.
Without assistance from the Walsh fund and other scholarships, Suarez would have to make the 45-minute to hour-long commute to and from her parents’ house in North Bergen, where she grew up. The drive would limit her ability to participate in evening events or access quiet nighttime study areas like the campus library and peer tutoring center. “The Frank and Mimi Walsh Fund helps me live out my dream,” she says. “I know that sounds a little corny. Like, it’s a dream to live in a dorm. But again, for a first generation student, it really is. Also, if I was commuting full time, I wouldn’t be able to maintain such a rigorous GPA. This scholarship and others have given me the opportunity to make the most out of my four years here.”
The Frank and Mimi Walsh Fund helps me live out my dream.”
That includes Suarez’s membership in the Buccino Leadership Institute, which provides
valuable mentorship and coaching in workforce readiness, and the Joseph A. Unanue
Latino Institute, where Suarez’s opportunities have ranged from community service
events to a Supreme Court visit to a gala at Cipriani Wall Street. “These experiences
have surrounded me with a lot of like-minded individuals,” she says. “Everyone around
me just wants to see one other flourish, which is a fulfilling thing about being part
of both institutes.”
Suarez is now preparing to take the LSAT and apply to law school. Not surprisingly,
Seton Hall is at the top of her list. “I would love to be a Pirate through and through,”
she says.
