A DU Journey Made Possible Through Scholarships

A study abroad experience in Indonesia. Co-founding a club for undergraduate women in business. An academic program that opened doors for her professional journey. The touchstone moments of Lexi Girard’s University of Denver education — and the opportunity to attend DU in the first place — happened because of scholarships.

“Without scholarships, I couldn’t have even attended DU,” Girard says, a student in the dual-degree bachelor and master of accounting program at the Daniels College of Business. “I applied to other schools with similar cost as DU, but it was the scholarships that made it possible for me to come here,” she says. Even with financial assistance, Girard still had to work part-time.

Then, she received additional scholarships that gave her more freedom to spend time on extracurricular ventures. She threw herself into her work with the Undergraduate Women in Business club, a group she co-founded. The club has strong support from Daniels professors in addition to philanthropic backing.

“The financial support from donors is vital,” Girard says. “Like during 1Day4DU, when donors give to student organizations — that’s how we can have big events that advance our mission and help students.” One such event was “Women of Wisdom,” which brought together nearly 100 professional alumni and students for mentoring and dialogue.

Girard’s 2017 study abroad trip to Indonesia gave her the opportunity to live and work with students from all over the world. As the only American in the group, she encountered many other cultures and learned to adapt to living in a country where she did not speak the language. The biggest highlight of her trip, Girard says, was working with younger students on career possibilities, learning about cross cultural communications and conflict resolution.

The accounting program in the Daniels College of Business has challenged Girard academically and helped her with employment opportunities. Through her connections in the accounting program, the Beta Alpha Psi accounting fraternity and the Daniels career office, Girard secured three internships as well as a job at Ernst & Young that she starts this summer upon graduating from DU.

“DU students come out of the program extremely disciplined; you can see the difference between DU students and those from other schools,” Girard says. “The accounting program is known to be challenging, but it’s because they want us to do well. And we are ready for our internships because of that.”

In reflecting on her time at DU, Girard reiterates the ways scholarships open doors for her and other students. Her ability to stay at DU, particularly earning a masters degree in addition to her bachelors, is closely aligned with the opportunities afforded by scholarships.

“The longer I’ve been here, the more I see students like me, working multiple jobs to be able to afford groceries and to pay rent,” she says. “So many students are independent financially, and they’re working so hard. At DU, that hard work is rewarded, especially with scholarships.”

To learn about how your gift in support of scholarships can make a difference in the lives of students like Girard, contact ScholarshipGiving@DU.edu.