Impact

I chose to attend EIU because it felt like home the minute that I stepped on campus. The faculty and students are warm and inviting in a way that is very genuine. College is a hard transition, and even stepping onto a campus can be scary, but EIU did everything to make that transition as smooth as possible from the first time that I visited until I was old enough to have the privilege to give that experience to new and incoming students. In my four years at EIU, I have been given so many enriching opportunities that have helped to shape me as a better musician and a better human being. Many of those opportunities are ones that I would not have gotten at another institution, especially as a freshman. I am truly thankful for everything that EIU has given me.

Receiving the Brian Reed Scholarship for these past four years has provided me with a kind of financial security that I would not have had without it. Coming from a modest home with three younger brothers who are also college-bound, getting college paid for was a necessity for me to go to college. Along with a generous scholarship from the Honors College, this scholarship gave me the opportunity to study at the university that wound up being my perfect fit. Since I have been at EIU, I have been challenged and pushed to my limits. I have been allowed to try things and to explore new ideas in a safe environment. The faculty here have provided a guiding hand to me all the way through my studies while also giving me encouragement to pursue my own directions of study outside of the classroom and rehearsal space. The combination of my coursework and my own independent work with other EIU music students has given me a well-rounded education that will continue to educate me long after I graduate. All of this was made possible by the generous scholarships that I have been so very lucky to receive.

Year after year, I have had an opportunity to utilize this space to thank the generous donors of the Brian Reed Scholarship, and year after year, I find it impossible to convey how grateful I am. The money that I have received for the last four years has allowed me to go to college, it has allowed me to feel safe studying what I love, and most importantly, it has empowered me to make as positive of an impact as possible on the community that has given so much to me. The generosity of others is a powerful thing and the Brian Reed Scholarship has changed my life by giving me the opportunity that has become the most impactful four years of my life. Thank you thank you thank you from the bottom of my and my family’s hearts.

Jackson Frosch
Jazz Performance Major