College of Human Sciences celebrates outstanding students, donors at 2024 Scholarship Reception

The night of Tuesday, Oct. 29 was a time for celebration for College of Human Sciences scholarship recipients and donors alike, as the college celebrated nearly 127 scholarships awarded over the past year at the 2024 Scholarship Reception held inside the Auburn Alumni Center.

Among those who received a life-changing gift was Joelene Burrows, a senior majoring in interior design in the College of Human Sciences. Burrows addressed those in attendance saying she is a first-generation college student and without the support of Auburn donors, her journey toward earning an undergraduate degree and in the future, a master’s degree would not be possible.

Below is an excerpt from Burrows’ personal story she shared:

“How do you say thank you to someone who you have never met, who did this great big thing that allowed you to continue learning and pursuing your academic goals after having conversations with your mom who is a single parent, about potentially having to step away from school due to financial instability. I'm actually really not sure how to say thank you to that but I will do my best.

Ever since I was a little kid, I have known that I wanted to do interior design. I remember being five or six, drawing and designing these intricate treehouse drawings that I then would submit to my local newspaper only to see them the following week in print. Then at age 12, I got to spend the summer with my aunt who was designing her house. This entire summer I got to learn how to apply wallpaper, paint walls and even tile a backsplash. While these are two fond memories that I closely associate with me realizing that I want to do interior design, I can't help but also notice that there were other factors that I realized as I got older that went into this decision and it was the fact that my mother and I have never had a home to call our own; always living with and relying on the generosity of relatives. While this may also be a cultural thing, this is what really propelled me towards the field of interior design and search for my own definition of a home. In turn, this also made me realize that I want to advocate for lower income housing, providing communities with improved surroundings and a place to call their own.

With such an amazing support system filled with family, friends and individuals like you all, I stand here and say thank you. Without the generosity, I truly don’t know how I would have continued learning. Your generosity didn’t just relieve a financial burden, you gave me the ability to one day effect tangible change through design, and hopefully provide my community with improved surroundings and a place to call their own.

So, thank you for investing in my future and I hope that my words truly display how grateful I am of this opportunity and life I have been given. I am excited to see what the future holds, and I am happy to share that I will be coming back to Auburn in fall 2025 to pursue my master’s in interior design. My younger self would be so proud of where I am today, and it wouldn’t be possible without your support. Thank you.