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Be the DSU difference

September 20, 2021

Dakota State Giving Day is Thursday, Sept. 23

Dakota State University’s annual Giving Day is on Thursday, September 23, and it’s an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of DSU students. No one knows this more than scholarship awardees.

When Caitlin Mohr received a letter that she was the recipient of the Arleen Amert Endowed Scholarship this year she started crying “I can afford to live.”

Mohr cares for her two daughters and 17-year-old nephew, while working at the South Dakota Department of Health, and attending Dakota State University online.

With the scholarship, Mohr was able to save the money she would normally spend on books, about $500.

“I was able to take that $500 and pay forward on my trash bill and other lower bills,” she said. “And so now I can start saving money. I actually have $200 in my savings account for the first time in honestly over a year.”

It hasn’t been an easy journey for the health information management major. Growing up Mohr’s mom was addicted to drugs, and her dad was an alcoholic. At 16 she gave birth to her first child and by February of her graduating year, she was asked to leave school due to lack of attendance. She earned her GED and went on to enroll at Northern University.

She passed her first semester, but by the third semester, she stopped attending classes. Mohr then spent time paying back the Perkins loan. After that, she took an entire year preparing to go back to college by sectioning off an hour of her time each day that could be used for homework.

“I wanted better,” she said. The goal of providing a better life to her three children than the one she had growing up has kept her going throughout her time at DSU. The Arleen Amert Endowed Scholarship is helping her do just that.

Scholarships give everyone an equal opportunity to attend school and succeed, Mohr shared. “You don’t even know how much you’re changing one person’s life by making that donation.”

Dakota State University’s annual Giving Day is Thursday, September 23 from 8 am – 8 pm. The DSU Trojan Center will be the home base for Giving Day operations. All are welcome to join in the DSU difference by donating online at givingday.dsu.edu or in person at the Trojan Center in Madison. This year’s goal is to raise $150,000 for DSU scholarships and programs. Progress on the day will be available on the Giving Day website and on DSU social media. Supporters are encouraged to share their DSU difference using the hashtag #DSURiseUp.

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