Ohio Wesleyan Graduate Makes $12 Million Commitment to Benefit First-Generation Students

Ohio Wesleyan University has received an estate commitment of $12 million to support first-generation college students.

The gift, made by 1992 Ohio Wesleyan alumna Kathrine Trine Grissom of Louisville, honors her mother, Mary Ellen Grissom who died in a car accident when Grissom was 8-month-old. Ohio Wesleyan University

“I believe I would have fallen through the cracks at any other school,” Grissom said. “I want to give back to Ohio Wesleyan because OWU took a chance on me.”

Grissom’s commitment also honors her uncle, Tom Grissom, who graduated from Ohio Wesleyan in 1962. 

One of every five Ohio Wesleyan students is the first in their family to attend college, according to university officials. Thirty-eight percent of the Class of 2028 are first-generation college students. In addition to scholarship aid, Grissom’s estate gift will provide comprehensive support for first-generation students including room and board and other expenses such as laptops, transportation costs, and medical bills.

“Ohio Wesleyan is a premier destination for first-generation college students,” said OWU’s President Dr. Matt vandenBerg. “We have teams of faculty, staff, alumni, and donors who are deeply committed to empowering first-gen students and giving them a space where they find belonging. Trine’s gift is transformational. Her generosity builds upon the thoughtful support of several other seven-figure gifts to OWU in recent years. What started as a splash has surged into a tidal wave of support for first-gen students at Ohio Wesleyan.”