Annual Giving

Giving back by paying forward - Wendi Dreesen

The year she saw the movie Pay It Forward - in which a boy repays the kindness he receives by helping others - Wendi Dreesen needed help herself. With just two quarters remaining to complete her master's degree in electrical engineering, she was struggling to balance coursework against the teaching assistant job that was her sole source of income. "Finally those responsibilities took a toll on me," she says. "I felt overwhelmed. I was ready to quit."

Instead, Wendi approached one of her professors, Antony Fraser-Smith, who, with Stanford Engineering administrators Marcia Keating and Noe Lozano, helped find university funds to replace her salary and cover her remaining tuition.

She never forgot the help - or the movie. Since graduating in 2001, Wendi has given back by giving forward, making annual gifts to the Engineering Fund every year.

"When I needed financial help, Stanford was there for me. By making a contribution to Stanford, I'm paying the favor forward to students coming after me," says Wendi.

Now the 28-year-old is applying her software and hardware engineering skills at Bechtel Nevada in her hometown of Los Alamos, New Mexico. "I got a great education at Stanford," she says. In addition to passing on her gift, she hopes her generosity inspires the next generation to "help other students down the road."

Last Modified: October 5 2006 04:45:49 PM