Support local scholarships for Valley Scholars
"My scholarship is changing my life – I hope you will make your gift to support scholarships for more local students like me.” – Ayam Ali ('23)
Upon completion of the Valley Scholars program in 2019, Harrisonburg High School graduate Ayam Ali qualified for admission to JMU and received a scholarship funded by donors like you. Now a junior, Ayam attends classes and works 20 hours a week in an internship position as an associate manufacturing automatic engineer at Merck in Elkton, Virginia.
The Valley Scholars program at JMU helps students in the Shenandoah Valley who come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds and show academic promise develop the skills necessary for college attendance. Help deliver the Madison experience by providing scholarships to aspiring first-generation college students from the local area »
Ayam's story – As a young girl, Ayam Ali survived a bombing in her home city in Iraq. Now she’s pursuing her dream of a college education in the U.S. If it weren't for donors like you, students like Ayam wouldn't have the opportunity to attend JMU upon completing the Valley Scholars program.
Change a life with your gift
Meet more local students who completed the Valley Scholars program and are now attending JMU from scholarship funds provided by generous donors.
Joshua Morris
Pierre Mbala
Timothy Custer
Who are Valley Scholars students?
They are hundreds of extraordinary students from 25 neighboring public schools, primarily in rural areas.
- 100% can become the first in their families to earn a four-year college degree.
- Without this program, they would be less likely to attend college, largely because of a lack of academic preparation and other barriers associated with economic hardship.
- 96% are in honors programs, take Advanced Placement classes, or are dual-enrolled in high school and community college.
- 100% have demonstrated financial need.
Students who fulfill all the requirements receive four-year scholarships to JMU, covering tuition and fees — opening doors so they can pursue majors anywhere on campus. Be part of a core group of caring donors whose commitment to unleashing academic and personal potential rivals that of our Valley Scholars students. Your investment will help close the opportunity gap and support all Valley Scholars not only in starting but in finishing a college degree, becoming the first in their families to do so.
