On her last day of service as a graduate student worker for the MTSU Foundation, alumna Emily (Musselman) Long wrote a testament about the significance of making a gift to support MTSU. Read her insights below, originally published in the Winter 2024 issue of MTSU Magazine.
I have had the honor of working in the MTSU Foundation for 5 years. Since this is my last day with the Foundation, I wanted to take a moment to share some thoughts about the significance of contributing to your University, especially to my fellow MTSU alumni.
If we are being honest, most of us have developed a reflex when it comes to requests for money—straight into the trash they go, right? I get it; it’s tempting to dismiss these appeals without a second thought, especially when you are getting nothing in return. You have already paid your tuition, you have already paid for housing, you have already paid your fees, why on Earth would you give MORE money to your University?
But before you crumple up that next MTSU donation letter (that a young student worker, like my 18 year-old self, painstakingly folded and addressed for hours), let me share a different perspective—one I’ve had the privilege of witnessing up close for over five years.
Behind those requests for donations are real people, real students, whose lives are being transformed because someone chose to give.
Every single day, our wonderful team processes a multitude of gifts from our incredible alumni and donors, ranging from substantial contributions to modest ones.
Now, you might be thinking, “What impact can my $25 gift possibly have when compared to donors giving thousands?”
Imagine this: If three other alumni, like you, decide to give a $25 gift, directed to the appropriate foundation fund (let’s say a Student Emergency Fund), collectively, you have given $100 – enough to cover a student textbook for the semester. Because of your collective generosity, a student won’t have to choose between buying a textbook and meeting other basic needs.
The bigger picture is this: It’s not about the size of the gift in isolation. It’s about the collective impact when our alumni give. Whether it’s $10, $100, or $1,000, every contribution allows us to support our students.
One of my responsibilities as interim scholarship manager was approving funds and collaborating with various departments to identify students eligible for foundation scholarships. Through this process, I’ve had the privilege of listening to students’ stories and hearing the impact that these scholarships have on their lives.
These foundation funds are a vital support system for a diverse array of students, including our prospective educators, minority scholars, first-generation college attendees, and those facing great financial need—just to name a few that I have seen this morning.
Maybe you never received a scholarship during your time at the University. Maybe you paid for it all yourself. Maybe you are still paying off student loans. But I promise you—students’ lives are being transformed. And the more alumni that give, the more students we get to help.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Go Blue Raiders!
If you wish to give to MTSU, please visit mtsu.edu/give.
Emily (Musselman) Long received her bachelor’s (’21) and master’s (’23) degrees in Computer Science from MTSU and is now employed at Bridgestone Americas as a data engineer.
Originally published in MTSU Magazine, Winter 2024 issue.