Mosaic Pooled Scholarship Established

The Westover Mosaic Pooled Scholarship — spearheaded by the Alumnae Board of Governors’ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee — was launched during the 2021-2022 academic year as part of the School’s ongoing commitment to build on the efforts undertaken by the DEI Task Force, which was created in 2020.

The Mosaic Pooled Scholarship invests in the next generation of empowered women through financial-aid support focused on equitable access for students of color. It was created as a pooled scholarship in the hope that as many donors as possible from within the School community will offer their support to enhance diversity at Westover.

For its 25th Reunion Gift, the Class of 1997 designated the Mosaic Pooled Scholarship as the recipient of its classmates’ gifts. In addition, other donors made designated gifts to support the scholarship, including Robin Smith Melvin ’80.

“This was very easy for me to do,” Robin said, as both a trustee and as a co-chair of the DEI Task Force. “I wanted to help provide a leadership gift to show my commitment, to put my money where my mouth is.”

“The ‘D’ in DEI is about diversity,” Robin said, “and, how I look at it, we need to get people of color through the doors of Westover and to the table. This scholarship will help increase the diversity of the student body.”  Robin knows from personal experience how important financial aid is to help create a diverse pool of potential students to access the opportunities that Westover has to offer. “I needed aid to attend Westover,” Robin recalled. So, offering the Mosaic Pooled Scholarship at the School “is a very personal thing for me. I was very fortunate, because otherwise I would not have been able to attend Westover. And while there were scholarships when I was a student, obviously offering ones today designated specifically for students of color is more critical than ever.”

“For me,” Robin said, “the next step is the ‘E’ in DEI — the Equity piece needs to be there. Once you offer scholarships for girls of color to come to the School, to get them through the doors, we then must make sure that they are able to fully participate in the feast at the table. We must make sure they are able to take full advantage of what Westover has to offer, so that resources for them are not an issue.” She noted that support must also be found to cover additional expenses — fees to take part in extracurricular programs offered by the School’s Rasin Center for Global Justice, the need for personal computers, or funds to participate in social activities offered by the School — that might limit these students’ access to the whole Westover experience.

“We need to make sure that resources are not an issue for anybody who doesn’t have the means from taking full advantage of what Westover has to offer,” Robin said. “That would be my goal as we move forward.”

Through endowed funds and through the Westover Fund, the School awards more than $5 million in financial aid each year to nearly 64 percent of its student body. Financial aid is one of the top mission-critical Westover Fund designations, and the addition of the Mosaic Pooled Scholarship is intended to augment the School’s long-held commitment to supporting a diverse student body.

The Westover Fund helps to meet the needs of all students, including supporting Rasin Center experiences, funding emerging opportunities, unanticipated needs, and enrichment. Providing these essential gifts through the Westover Fund allows the School to meet students where they are — and help level the playing field.  

“My experience with the Class of 1997 has shaped my life, and a great deal of this impact had to do with meeting classmates from all different backgrounds and races. Making this same world-opening experience possible for future Westover students is extremely important to me. I am proud to be a part of this initiative through support of the Mosaic Scholarship.”

— Tyler Emerson-Dorsch ’97

“I have long been interested in meeting and getting to know a variety of people, and have believed in the importance of greater educational access for students who have been underrepresented. It is not only a matter of fairness and opportunity, it’s better for our school and community, and it’s better for our country.”

— Alison Barbour Fox ’43

Visit westoverschool.org/donate if you wish to make a gift to support the Mosaic Pooled Scholarship.