Holmquist Endowment Invests in Student Success

Peyton Holmquist ‘17 is student success personified. For four years, she was engaged in a bit of everything NC State has to offer, embracing the student experience in its entirety and leaving a lasting impression on the campus community. She graduated this spring and her parents are continuing where she left off.

Now that their daughter has completed her undergraduate experience, parents Mike and Beth Holmquist are directing their generosity to the opportunities that had the greatest impact on Peyton’s NC State experience which included Exploratory Studies and serving as a resident mentor. By creating the Michael G. and Elizabeth A. Holmquist Endowed Scholarship, they’re investing in student success and ensuring an equally impactful campus experience for future Wolfpack generations. Through a combination of a planned gift and current cash gifts, the Holmquist Endowed Scholarship provides annual scholarship awards to students who are supporting the Exploratory Studies Program by serving as a resident mentor. Recipients are chosen based on exemplary leadership, service, and dedication to the Exploratory Studies Program. Mike Holmquist shares, “We are thrilled with NC State and appreciate all it does. We are particularly passionate about the Exploratory Studies program, service, and leadership. As such, we have created the Holmquist Endowed Scholarship to encourage and support future leaders.”

When Peyton came to campus as a first-year student, she was uncertain of the path she would pursue. Hers is certainly a common story — students who have many interests or talents often find determining an academic major to be challenging. For these students, there’s NC State’s Exploratory Studies program. Intended for those who are undecided about a major, Exploratory Studies gives students the opportunity to fully explore their passions by experiencing all that the university has to offer, before choosing an academic path. Participants embrace the student experience in a purposeful manner, strategically charting a path to the future while remaining on track to graduate on time.

[pullquote cite=”Mike Holmquist” color=”wolfpackred” align=”alignleft”]We are thrilled with NC State and appreciate all it does. We are particularly passionate about the Exploratory Studies program, service, and leadership.[/pullquote]

For Peyton, it was an introduction to the campus community that would ultimately lead to her involvement as a chancellor’s aide, orientation leader, member of Phi Beta Kappa, Kappa Kappa Gamma, the University Scholars Program, and as a university ambassador. She served as a resident mentor her sophomore year and returned as a senior resident mentor her junior year to live in the Exploratory Studies living and learning village, lending leadership and guidance from her own experiences, and a warm welcome, to fellow residents. This extremely diverse range of opportunities take place outside of the traditional classroom, and all directly correlate to how successful students will be on campus and in the future.

The Division of Academic and Student Affairs holds student success as our top priority, and we know that many of the most important learning experiences for our students are those that occur outside of the traditional classroom. Students who are engaged in opportunities like University Honors and Scholars, Alternative Service Break, or undergraduate research are more successful during their time on campus and beyond. Employers value real world experience, and that’s a big part of why NC State students are so highly recruited by top companies after graduation. This certainly held true for Peyton; after graduating with a degree in Communication, she received multiple job offers but ultimately chose to pursue a position with Chick-fil-A’s Talent Acquisition department — an opportunity that arose in part because of an internship after her junior year, and because of the practical, hands on experiences in which she was engaged during her time on campus.

The Michael G. and Elizabeth A. Holmquist Family Scholarship will support students like Peyton who are compelled to explore their passions and provide leadership and mentorship for their peers in the Exploratory Studies program. As NC State welcomes the largest first-year class to date, Mike and Beth Holmquist are making a critical investment, ensuring Academic and Student Affairs will remain poised to support the countless students who will build a foundation for a successful future by engaging in Division of Academic and Student Affairs programs.