Annual Giving is the only fundraising program of the university that reaches all alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends each year to offer giving opportunities for direct support of UW’s colleges, departments, and programs. This creates a vital and dependable source of private support to help the University of Wyoming fulfill its mission to become one of the nation’s finest public land-grant research universities.
Song Jin is founder of Advanced Environmental Technologies LLC and an adjunct professor in Civil and Architectural Engineering at UW. But way before that, he was an undergraduate in China who dreamed of pursuing graduate studies in the U.S. Despite numerous obstacles—and with the help of the Helen Dunnewald Memorial Scholarship and UW Professors Don Roth and Patricia Colberg—his determination led him to UW. Thirty years and a Ph.D. later, he honored that very scholarship on Giving Day 2023 by giving back. “It was such a touching moment,” Song says. Reconnecting with the Dunnewald family brought his journey full circle, and he is humbled by the opportunity to pay it forward and help future students.
A trailblazer and first-generation college student, Brian Pepin is a drummer in an
80s cover band. He is also a principal software developer at Xbox, a division of Microsoft,
and a graduate of the UW College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. For 22 years,
he has paid it forward through support of the President’s Impact Fund—that supports
students across the board—and he gives back to the College of Engineering and Physical
Sciences. He also actively supports his professional community online through contributions
to Github, Quora, and other sites.
Sandy Schwartzkopf was a nontraditional student who transferred from Eastern Wyoming College to UW, where she earned her bachelor’s in English with honors. She returned for her master’s and taught English 1010, aspiring to complete a Ph.D. and to continue teaching. Tragically, she lost her fight with breast cancer at the age of 39, and her master’s was awarded posthumously. In honor of this caring mother and wife who loved learning, the Sandy Schwartzkopf Scholarship was established to benefit nontraditional students in the Department of English. The scholarship was started by her parents Hal and Shirley Brethour and her husband Rick. Sandy’s son Joel gives to the fund every month to continue her legacy and to create opportunities for other students like his mother.
Ivy McLeod’s life took off in a big way—literally, with NASA. Originally from Basin,
Wyoming, she graduated from UW with a bachelor’s in physics. She earned a master’s
in physics and meteorology from the University of Oklahoma before working her way
up to her current position as flight controller for the International Space Station
at Johnson Space Center. She returns to UW every fall for the Women in STEM conference
to mentor, and she supports her alma mater through gifts to excellence- and science-focused
programs across campus.