Image by Ed Brennen Junior business major Sohil Mohamed, left, recipient of the Coll Family Endowed Scholarship, got a chance to thank alum Wayne Coll '85, '94 and his wife, Marjorie, for the award in person at the Manning School of Business' recent Celebration of Scholarship at the Meehan Student Center.
The Coll Family Endowed Scholarship has helped junior finance student Sohil Mohamed balance his books this fall — and ease some financial stress.
“It eliminated all the negative equity that I had for the semester,” said Mohamed, a Haverhill resident. “Just that extra money for books or whatever it might be really does help in the long term.”
Mohamed had the chance to thank the donor who made that support possible, business alum Wayne Coll ’85, ’94, at the Manning School of Business’ recent Celebration of Scholarship at University Crossing.
Coll, chief financial officer at Precision Optics in Gardner, said meeting scholarship recipients gives donors a more personal connection to their philanthropy.
“You can give money to an organization or to a charity, but when you actually can meet the recipient, it’s just a different level,” said Coll, who earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master of business administration from UML.
Image by Ed Brennen Alum Rob Manning '84, '11 (H) shares advice with Manning School of Business students during a fireside chat with Dean Bertie Greer during the recent Celebration of Scholarship at the Meehan Student Center.
The event featured a fireside chat between Rist Family Endowed Dean of Business Bertie Greer and business alum Rob Manning ’84, ’11 (H), the namesake of the Manning School and a longtime university benefactor.
“A scholarship not only eases a financial burden,” Greer said. “It can give a student room to focus on all that the college experience has to offer, build confidence and pursue so many opportunities.”
Chancellor Julie Chen urged students to take advantage of the support available to them from faculty, staff, alumni and donors.
“These are people who invested in you, not because they knew you, not because they were related to you, but because they have faith that you are going to take advantage of this opportunity and go on and do great things,” Chen said.
Kaleigh Thurell, a senior accounting major from Billerica, said her MacKenzie Family Endowed Scholarship and Geanakos Family Scholarship have allowed her to work just one job during the school year. Before receiving the awards, she juggled her restaurant server job with an internship at a pool supply company and a co-op with the Rist DifferenceMaker Institute.
“It’s incredible. It’s so inspiring, and it’s so helpful,” Thurell said of the awards.
Image by Ed Brennen Manning School of Business students were invited to share notes of appreciation during the recent Celebration of Scholarship.
“It makes me want to give later in my life as well,” said Bhuiyan, an analytics and operations management student from Mansfield.
The celebration also recognized three new Robert J. Manning Endowed Chairs: Christian Felzensztein in entrepreneurship, Bernie Quiroga in supply chain management and Jonathan Ye in artificial intelligence and information systems.
Students found Manning’s personal story particularly inspiring. He described growing up in Methuen in a blue-collar family and arriving at UMass Lowell unsure of his potential or where his career would lead. He credited professors and administrators, including adjunct faculty member Yash Puri, with helping him see possibilities for his future.
Manning recently retired after a 37-year career at MFS Investment Management, where he became chairman and chief executive officer. He also served as chairman of the UMass Board of Trustees and said his success deepened his commitment to helping others.
“If you’re successful in life and you become lucky and fortunate, you have to give back to help other people,” Manning said. “It’s a moral obligation that if you have more than you need, you have to help other people.”
Image by Ed Brennen The Manning School's Celebration of Scholarship recognized 184 business students who received 208 awards from 55 donor-funded scholarship funds this year.
Manning said students should recognize that the challenges they overcome can become a source of strength.
“The fact that you’re a Manning grad is … an advantage,” he said. “None of you have had it easy in life. You’ve had to work hard. You’ve had to persevere. You’ve had to overcome obstacles.”
As he described the struggles many students face while paying for college and managing responsibilities at home, Manning became emotional.
“When I got into the business world, I thought I was less than others, but I wasn’t,” he said. “I was stronger than everybody else. And you are too.”
Manning urged the students to carry that confidence with them after graduation.
“When you walk out of this school, you hold your head up high,” he said. “You’re special, you’re different, and you’re going to win.”