{"id":13619,"date":"2026-03-26T13:46:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T17:46:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/?p=13619"},"modified":"2026-03-27T15:44:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T19:44:41","slug":"the-promise-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/the-promise-of-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"The Promise of HOPE"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Sarah Achenbach \u201988<\/h6>\n

\"Berna\n\n\tA<\/span>n internal earthquake. That\u2019s how Berna Hamill-Guzman \u201929 describes her first year at Hollins University.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything I knew about myself and what I wanted and believed in crumbled when I came to Hollins,\u201d she says. \u201cI realized there is so much more for me. Hollins has given me opportunities to grow and change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamill-Guzman is one of 125 national Hollins Opportunity for Promise through Education (HOPE) scholars in the class of 2029. Just weeks before her first semester, she was living in Easley, South Carolina, working two jobs to close a $3,000 gap between her scholarship and the cost of attending another college. As the first in her family to graduate high school and attend college, that balance might as well have been $3 million.<\/p>\n

Her challenge wasn\u2019t talent or ambition. With a teaching internship already completed and dreams of becoming a history teacher, Hamill-Guzman was ready for college. What threatened to derail her plans was the cost.<\/p>\n

When she couldn\u2019t close the gap, she assumed her college dreams were over. Then she remembered several emails about Hollins\u2019 national HOPE program. The national program, launched in 2025, covers tuition, on-campus food and housing, and required fees for four years, completely loan-free, to academically talented students from limited-income backgrounds.<\/p>\n

Hamill-Guzman applied after the deadline. A coveted spot opened. By the end of August, she was unpacking her future at Hollins.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith HOPE, I realized college was possible,\u201d she says. Now majoring in history with a minor in secondary education\u2009\u2014\u2009and considering additional minors\u2009\u2014\u2009she adds, \u201cIt\u2019s the best thing ever, not having to worry about debt.\u201d<\/p>\n

For President Mary Dana Hinton, stories like Hamill-Guzman\u2019s are both deeply personal and powerfully familiar.<\/p>\n

Hinton, too, was a bright student with enormous potential but no clear path to pay for college. The family that employed her mother as a housekeeper in rural North Carolina offered to fund Hinton\u2019s education. \u201cI had no idea what the world had to offer until I had the opportunity to receive an excellent education,\u201d she says. \u201cMany people never discover their full potential because their world and their view of themselves have been narrowed by circumstances often beyond their control. The only difference between HOPE scholars and other Hollins students is an economic one.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1774462180778{padding-top: 30px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

FROM REGIONAL ROOTS TO NATIONAL REACH<\/h3>\n

\"Dorian\n\n\tA<\/span>t a time when doors are closing for many young women of talent and ambition, Hollins has chosen to open them wider.<\/p>\n

Inspired by its founding mission to educate women to lead lives of purpose and emboldened by its Board of Trustees, Hollins launched HOPE in 2021 with a regional scholarship serving students from the Roanoke Valley with household incomes of $50,000 or less. The program filled the last-dollar gap after federal, state, and institutional aid, guaranteeing a tuition-free Hollins education. While it did not yet cover additional expenses like room and board, the impact was immediate. Enrollment and retention exceeded expectations, with cohorts of more than 30 students enrolling and persisting at above-average rates. Today, nearly 100 regional HOPE scholars are on campus, with the first cohort graduating this May.<\/p>\n

Many people never discover their full potential because their world and their view of themselves have been narrowed by circumstances often beyond their control. The only difference between HOPE scholars and other Hollins students is an economic one.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI\u2019m happy that we were able to be the pilot group for what is now a truly amazing scholarship,\u201d says Dorian Meekins \u201926. \u201cWhile the HOPE scholarship now is not the scholarship I received, it is something much better that will give much-needed opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

President Hinton witnessed the transformation firsthand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe regional HOPE scholarship enriches our classrooms with new perspectives and leadership and helps us build deeper relationships with the Roanoke Valley community,\u201d Hinton explains. \u201cHOPE shows what\u2019s possible when we focus on student success and build durable connections across academic affairs, enrollment, and student support.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AmeenaThat promise came into focus through students like Ameena Alsmadi \u201926.<\/p>\n

Quiet and hesitant as a first-year student, Alsmadi, a business and psychology double major with a minor in economics, has emerged as a campus leader. A resident assistant, interfaith leader for Muslim students, and research coordinator for the psychology department\u2019s Memory and Cognition Lab, her Hollins experience includes a coveted Amazon area manager internship and a January Term (J-Term) in Kenya studying women\u2019s reproductive health.<\/p>\n

\u201cBefore coming to Hollins, many people told me that although I wouldn\u2019t be paying as much, I would be at a disadvantage due to Hollins\u2019 size and lack of reputation compared to schools like Virginia Tech,\u201d Alsmadi explains. \u201cThere are many mechanisms in place here, like J-term and signature internships, which help students connect to various opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I got here, I had many ideas and goals but lacked the confidence to try or trust myself,\u201d Alsmadi says. \u201cHollins gave me the support and encouragement to trust my voice, share my perspectives, and step into leadership roles that once felt out of reach.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alsmadi\u2019s transformation fills Hinton with pride. \u201cNow Ameena walks around campus like she owns it\u2009\u2014\u2009in all the very best ways,\u201d she says. \u201cHOPE has given young women who may not have had a chance an incredible opportunity to thrive on campus and beyond. That\u2019s truly priceless to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe best surprise [about HOPE],\u201d Alsmadi reflects, \u201cis how many doors have opened for me.\u201d This spring, she begins her career in industrial organizational psychology as a full-time Amazon area manager in Maryland.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1774468554937{margin-top: 50px !important;padding-bottom: 30px !important;background-color: #006E53 !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]\"Deja<\/p>\n

\"HOPE[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1774462227125{padding-top: 30px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

WHY HOPE IS NEEDED NOW<\/h3>\n

\n\n\tH<\/span>igher education is facing intense pressure. In 2026, a steep, long-anticipated demographic decline in the number of high school graduates begins, intensifying competition across states, even where projections are more favorable, explains Ashley Browning, M.A.L.S. \u201913, vice president for enrollment management.<\/p>\n

At the same time, applications have surged at large public universities since the pandemic, with decreasing enrollment at small liberal arts colleges. \u201cThose are the places where applications are through the roof,\u201d Browning says, \u201cand it\u2019s made things challenging for small private institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another shift affects every college and university in the U.S.: limited-income, first-generation students and students of color now make up a growing share of the college-going population. At Hollins, the class of 2029 reflects that change, with 44% first-generation students and 67% Pell-eligible students (those meeting federal qualifications for need-based support based on limited family income).<\/p>\n

National research underscores the stakes. In 2024, the Brookings Institute concluded that encouraging more academically talented, lower-income students to enroll at selective colleges could significantly increase equity and economic mobility. Yet because of the \u201cexcellence gap,\u201d students from low-income backgrounds are eight times less likely to obtain a bachelor\u2019s degree than higher-income peers.<\/p>\n

Many institutions have responded by expanding access, often through loan-based aid. Few, however, match the scope of Hollins\u2019 national HOPE program introduced in 2024 (the first cohort started in fall 2025), which covers tuition, on-campus food and housing, and required fees entirely loan-free.<\/p>\n

For 2025-26, the standard direct cost to attend Hollins is $60,910. Even with aid, many students must juggle loans and jobs, borrowing that impacts everything from career paths to long-term financial security. The typical student debt load for graduates of private institutions hovers around $40,000 (Education Data Initiative<\/em>), with much higher totals when private loans are involved.<\/p>\n

Deja Ross \u201927, a Roanoke native and regional HOPE scholar, is proudly loan-free. \u201cHaving my tuition covered gave me a big advantage,\u201d she says, allowing her to study abroad in Ireland while pursuing a demanding double major in elementary education and psychology.<\/p>\n

\u201cStudents cannot choose education over food, housing, or caring for their families,\u201d Ross adds. \u201cHOPE allows them to pursue their education and still take care of their responsibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Affordability, Browning notes, has long been the top concern for students across income levels.<\/p>\n

For years, Hollins was financially out of reach for many excellent students,\u201d she says. \u201cHOPE changed that.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Today, Hollins awards every new student at least $25,000 in merit scholarship support\u2009\u2014\u2009a strong statement of our continued investment in all students.<\/p>\n

Among women\u2019s colleges, Hollins enrolls a notably high percentage of low-income students, an intentional, mission-driven, and future-focused choice. \u201cThere\u2019s tremendous opportunity to better serve those who are coming to college,\u201d Browning explains, \u201cwhile advancing access, equity, and institutional sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a cornerstone of the university\u2019s Transforming Learning, Transforming Lives: The Levavi Oculos Strategic Plan<\/em>, HOPE represents a critical component of Hollins\u2019 innovative answer to access and sustainability challenges, and its bold aspiration to lead nationally in social, economic, and civic mobility for women.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

DESIGNED FOR BELONGING AND SUCCESS<\/h3>\n

\"JahaziahGriffin\n\n\tH<\/span>ollins\u2019 strength lies in creating an intentional environment that connects HOPE scholars to mentorship, belonging, and opportunity from the start.<\/p>\n

Jessi Kingery, HOPE Scholars Transition Coach, begins working with students in February of their high school senior year and continues with individualized advising once they arrive to campus, helping them shape schedules, connect to opportunities, and build confidence early.<\/p>\n

\u201cJessi really fosters and inspires us,\u201d says Jahaziah Griffin \u201929. Griffin also appreciates how seamlessly HOPE scholars are integrated into campus life. \u201cNo one asks if you are a HOPE scholar,\u201d she explains. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize that five of my closest friends were also HOPE scholars until weeks into our relationship.\u201d<\/p>\n

HOPE scholars also benefit from what has defined Hollins for 184 years: close relationships with faculty. When Griffin arrived with her cello (a beloved gift from her grandmother), private lessons were not financially feasible. But Associate Professor of Music and Music Department Chair Shelbie Wahl-Fouts didn\u2019t hesitate to invite her to take lessons, covered by financial support. Griffin and two classmates later founded Coda Noir<\/em>, a chamber ensemble that now performs on campus.<\/p>\n

Before HOPE, Griffin worried student debt would force her away from her dream of becoming an elementary school teacher. \u201cHOPE allowed me to breathe by removing the financial stress,\u201d she says. \u201cIt really changed the trajectory of all my plans.<\/p>\n

“We’re incredibly competitive among the most academically talented students. A Hollins degree is even more valuable because of how the institution is thriving.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a different mindset when I came here, because I can pursue what I want to pursue. Now, I set the limit on how far I want to go.\u201d Next year, those opportunities include being a writing tutor, continuing to perform with Coda Noir<\/em>, and getting involved with the fencing club, pickleball, and theater.<\/p>\n

HOPE has strengthened Hollins\u2019 competitiveness. \u201cWe\u2019re incredibly competitive among the most academically talented students,\u201d Hinton says. \u201cA Hollins degree is even more valuable because of how the institution is thriving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Enrollment strategy, Browning emphasizes, is about balance. HOPE complements Hollins\u2019 continued investment in robust merit scholarships while ensuring the university remains responsive to students and families across a wide range of income bands, including those with the capacity to pay. \u201cIf you\u2019re an incredible student and feel called to our mission, we want you here, regardless of family resources,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

National HOPE scholar Julia Cooper \u201929, who plans to double major in biology and Spanish, chose Hollins for similar reasons. \u201cOther scholarships didn\u2019t include housing or meals,\u201d she says. \u201cWithout HOPE, my family would be taking on loans we couldn\u2019t manage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JuliaOpportunities to ride and study abroad sealed the decision. Cooper\u2019s love of horses began on a church mission trip at a barn in upstate New York. After her second riding lesson, Sherri West, director of Hollins\u2019 equestrian program and riding coach, asked if she\u2019d like to join the team. \u201cIt felt like I was jumping right into a very loving and caring family,\u201d Cooper recalls. \u201cI came with no equipment, and teammates donated what I needed.\u201d She took four lessons a week last fall, partially paid for by her job at the barn.<\/p>\n

\u201cHollins is a small school, but the huge benefit is that I can really connect with my professors,\u201d adds Cooper, who plans to attend medical school. \u201cClasses are more discussion-based, and since HOPE assists study abroad, I can do research in Ireland or Spain without worrying about the cost. When you are always worrying about your next bill, your mind tends to be closed off. HOPE gives me possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making the impossible possible is what Hollins has always done, Hinton reflects. \u201cEvery person I know is seeking hope right now,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd we actually have it living and breathing on our campus. No other institution is doing what Hollins is doing through HOPE.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hollins\u2019 vision honors its leadership tradition as a women\u2019s college while transforming the future of every person on campus and beyond. \u201cHOPE is making a tangible difference in the lives of each student, their families, their communities, and every life they will touch,\u201d she reflects.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column css=”.vc_custom_1774472057749{padding-top: 25px !important;padding-bottom: 50px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1774550564160{padding-top: 50px !important;padding-right: 75px !important;padding-bottom: 115px !important;padding-left: 75px !important;background-color: #006E53 !important;}”]<\/p>\n

\"HOPE<\/span><\/h3>\n

ENSURING HOPE<\/span><\/h3>\n

\n\n\tH<\/span>OPE is an ambitious promise, and Hollins is committed to sustaining it for generations.<\/span><\/p>\n

To ensure that limited-income women will always have access to a Hollins education, the university is building a $125 million HOPE endowment. To launch the national program, Hollins raised $10 million to fully fund the first two HOPE classes for four years. The university is now raising an additional $10 million to support the incoming classes of 2027 and 2028.<\/span><\/p>\n

As the demographic of college-bound students shifts, so too does the philanthropic landscape. Anita Branch-Brown, vice president of institutional advancement, points to a coming \u201cphilanthropic cliff\u201d as long-standing donors age. \u201cThat generation is slowly leaving us,\u201d she explains. \u201cAnother generation paid full freight and may still be carrying student loan debt. Now, we\u2019re welcoming a generation of women whose education at Hollins comes at no cost.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

With that gift comes an expectation: pay it forward.<\/span><\/p>\n

HOPE scholar Jahaziah Griffin \u201929 embraces that responsibility. \u201cI\u2019m even more dedicated to my education because I\u2019ve been given this opportunity,\u201d she says. \u201cMy friends who are HOPE scholars want to pour back into the community and the people who made this possible.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

MATCHING CHALLENGE<\/span><\/h4>\n

Thanks to a generous $2 million challenge match from Anonymous Trust, gifts to the HOPE Scholarship have the potential to be doubled, dollar for dollar. This is an all-or-nothing matching challenge: the full<\/span>
\n$2 million must be raised by June 30, 2026, or none of the matching funds will be released.<\/span><\/p>\n

The match applies to gifts made to either the HOPE endowment or the HOPE current-use initiative, which supports the next classes of HOPE Scholars. Through June 30, 2026, qualifying gifts will be matched dollar for dollar once the full $2 million challenge goal is met. Eligible gifts include:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 Gifts from new donors to HOPE,
\n\u2022\u00a0 Gifts from lapsed donors who have not given to HOPE in the past 18 months, and
\n\u2022\u00a0 Increased gifts from current HOPE donors.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information about the challenge match<\/a>, contact Anita Branch-Brown at branchbrownar@糖心传媒.edu.<\/strong><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/4″ css=”.vc_custom_1774472057749{padding-top: 25px !important;padding-bottom: 50px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]\"Sabrina[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”3\/4″][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

BEFORE HOPE HAD A NAME<\/h3>\n

\""Love,\n\n\tS<\/span>can the QR code to watch \u201cLove, Sabrina,\u201d<\/a> a video love letter from Hollins Trustee Sabrina Rose-Smith \u201900 to her younger self. Raised in the projects of Birmingham, Alabama, Sabrina was a promising young woman with the intellect, ambition, and determination to succeed, but she believed college was out of reach. A chance encounter at a college fair changed everything, opening the door to possibility, education, and a future she once thought unattainable.<\/p>\n

Like HOPE scholars, Sabrina\u2019s story is a powerful reminder of what happens when an unstoppable young woman is given the opportunity to pursue her dreams.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””][\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””] By Sarah Achenbach \u201988 n internal earthquake. That\u2019s how Berna Hamill-Guzman \u201929 describes her first year at Hollins University. \u201cEverything I knew about myself and what I wanted and believed in crumbled when I came to Hollins,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[147],"class_list":["post-13619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-spring-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13619","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13619"}],"version-history":[{"count":39,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13619\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13720,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13619\/revisions\/13720"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13619"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13619"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.糖心传媒.edu\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13619"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}