{"id":130305,"date":"2022-10-06T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T12:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=130305"},"modified":"2024-07-29T10:59:44","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T14:59:44","slug":"what-a-difference-a-day-makes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2022\/10\/06\/what-a-difference-a-day-makes\/","title":{"rendered":"What a difference a day makes"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Alex Hunter \u201911 and Stefanie Hreha \u201911<\/p><\/div>\n

L<\/span>ittle did Alex Hunter \u201911 and Stefanie Hreha \u201911 know they\u2019d be part of a trend. In the early fall of 2017, the couple heard about a new way to support their alma mater.<\/p>\n

That new way would take place on October 1, recognized as Wright State\u2019s Founders\u2019 Day. On that day in 1967, Wright State became its own university, having previously been jointly run by The Ohio State University and Miami University. To pay homage to the 50th anniversary, the new event would span 50 hours. More than a day\u2014but this was more than the normal fundraising campaign. It was the start of something big.<\/p>\n

Thus began Wright Day to Give<\/a>. It\u2019s been on October 1 every year since the first one in 2017\u2014except for this year. October 1 falls on a weekend, so this fall, Wright Day to Give will be on Thursday, October 6 (save the date!).<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all well and good with Alex and now Stefanie Hunter\u2014the couple married on New Year\u2019s Eve 2017 after being introduced by Wright State friends in 2013. They\u2019ve donated on Wright Day to Give ever since, and do so happily and with gratitude.<\/p>\n

\u201cStefanie brought it up, for sure,\u201d Alex said as he recalled their conversation about donating that day in 2017. \u201cThere was no convincing needed on my part.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I transitioned into being an alumna,\u201d Stefanie added, \u201cI felt the need to support Greek life.\u201d Stefanie has been active in her sorority, Theta Phi Alpha. \u201cIt gave me a home away from home,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She came to Wright State from Lorain, located by Lake Erie, nearly four hours away. Stefanie said she was introduced to the campus by a high school teacher who was a Wright State graduate. \u201cHe brought our family on a tour, and I was sold. It was all in one area\u2014I didn\u2019t have to ride city buses to get to classes. There\u2019s a sense of community that\u2019s big, but not too big,\u201d Stefanie said.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>An anthropology major<\/a>, Stefanie found that joining a sorority offered many benefits. \u201cIt gave me a group that I could confide in, and allowed me to build leadership skills. Any organization you join gives you those opportunities,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She also was in jazz band and pep band. \u201cEveryone needs a place to belong, and I found my place,\u201d said Stefanie, now director of patient recruitment and engagement for Evolution Research Group.<\/p>\n

Alex, a Beavercreek native and senior analyst for CareSource, came to Wright State by a more circuitous route. He started at the University of Cincinnati, but family concerns arose. \u201cI decided to come home and take on my own financial responsibility,\u201d he said. He took classes at Sinclair Community College and finished earning his accountancy degree<\/a> at Wright State.<\/p>\n

His experience in managing debt while achieving his degree was fresh in his mind when Stefanie broached the subject of the inaugural Wright Day to Give. They earmarked their gift to student scholarships.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important for us to give back to Wright State, to take care of people who can benefit from it,\u201d Stefanie said. \u201cThis isn\u2019t a grandiose gesture, just donating our Starbucks money every day to make a difference in someone\u2019s life. We\u2019ve earmarked donations for Greek scholarships, scholarships in general, or whatever the greatest need is at the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Hunters\u2019 largesse toward scholarships represents one of three basic categories in which alumni have designated donations, the other two being programs and athletics.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Biological sciences graduate and current Boonshoft School of Medicine student Tanner Hudson<\/p><\/div>\n

Alumnus Tanner Hudson shares their giving spirit. He gravitates toward supporting academics and athletics for personal and professional reasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery year I typically give to the College of Science and Mathematics<\/a>, because that college has the biology department,\u201d said Hudson, who earned a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences<\/a> in 2018. \u201cThis past year I also gave to the athletic programs. Our student-athletes are successful on and off the court and field, and in the classroom. They exhibit the incredible value of the Wright State brand in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hudson has the distinction of first giving as a student, in 2018, and continuing as both an alumnus and a graduate student\u2014he is in his fourth and final year in the Boonshoft School of Medicine<\/a>, where he is studying to become a physician and eventually an orthopedic surgeon.<\/p>\n

What brought him to Wright State? \u201cI\u2019m local and very familiar with Wright State,\u201d said the Jamestown, Ohio, native. \u201cMy older brother was at Wright State, studying accounting and finance. I saw the opportunities here through him. I joined him as an undergrad.\u201d His brother, Garrett, earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in 2016 and a master\u2019s degree in accountancy in 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had always enjoyed science, and anatomy specifically,\u201d explained Hudson. \u201cWhat got me interested in medicine was a few knee injuries I had playing basketball in high school. That was my first big exposure to the medical field. I saw how doctors used science and anatomy to help me. I pictured myself going into a field like that to combine my interests in science and anatomy and in helping others. Medicine\u2019s a good way to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cI combine that with a love of sports and working with younger athletes. I get to mesh all of that together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hudson made his first donation in 2018 largely through his involvement with the \u201967 Society, a student organization focusing on professional development, leadership advancement, and philanthropy. \u201cI was fortunate to get scholarships through the generosity of others. I chose to donate as a student because I wanted to pay it forward to students coming behind me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a med student. I\u2019m not a high-dollar donor,\u201d he chuckled.<\/p>\n

That leads to another point Hudson makes passionately. \u201cEven a small donation can make a difference in a student\u2019s journey,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery little bit can count.\u201d<\/p>\n

As someone pursuing a second degree who has lived his entire life in this area, he said, \u201cthe success of Wright State and its students is the success of the Dayton region.\u201d<\/p>\n

When considering whether to donate on Wright Day to Give, Hudson encourages young alumni to \u201cthink about how someone else\u2019s donation may have benefited them on their journey. In turn, think about how they can pay that forward and make a difference in the next student\u2019s journey.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following up on that theme of making a difference, and looking ahead to this year\u2019s Wright Day to Give, the Hunters put the day in perspective. \u201cIt\u2019s good knowing the money is going to people who need it, or to the next Tony or Emmy-award winner, or the next Louis Armstrong from the music department. You just never know,\u201d Stefanie said.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo give is to be a part of something bigger,\u201d Stefanie said. \u201cIt\u2019s important to realize that. Wright State gave us something tangible, a degree, but there are the intangibles, like friendships and leadership opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can, answer the call,\u201d Alex added.<\/p>\n

Want to be a part of something bigger? Give back at wright.edu\/give\/wrightday2give<\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One couple shares their motivation behind giving, and one grad shares how his gift as a student influenced him to continue to pay it forward. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":66,"featured_media":130319,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,733,4309,2064,748,4906,2040,725,747,4827,2149,2016,715,746,4855],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-130305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-alumni","category-alumni-association","category-biology","category-business","category-finance-accountancy-management-information-systems-and-economics","category-giving","category-home-news-sidebar","category-liberal-arts","category-magazine","category-medical-students","category-medicine","category-news","category-science-mathematics","category-social-sciences-and-international-studies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130305","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/66"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130305"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130305\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":152196,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130305\/revisions\/152196"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130305"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130305"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130305"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}