Scholarships Support Nontraditional Student’s Pursuit of Dream Career
Dana McLennan exemplifies her belief that “it’s never too late to live your dreams.” The 47-year-old will earn a bachelor’s in mass communications with a journalism concentration during Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s fall 2021 commencement ceremonies being held Friday-Saturday, Dec. 17-18.
“I am not your typical college student,” she said. “I have children who could themselves be attending college at this very moment. I have grandchildren who are saving for their future education.”
Two generous scholarships helped lighten McLennan’s financial load in the 2020-21 academic year. She received both the Rising Communicators Scholarship and the Buezetta Meyer and Charlot Hentz Scholarship.
Alumnus Brian Henry, BS mass communications ’95, established the Rising Communicators Scholarship in 2018 to benefit students in his former program. Hentz’s scholarship was created through an estate gift following her death in 2001. She graduated in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in English and had a 50-year career in the advertising field.
“Receiving these scholarships meant the world to me, because I have worked hard toward my education,” said McLennan, who has been a cosmetologist for the past 20 years.
McLennan has continued working full time while attending college and raising three children. She enrolled at SIUE in 2020 after completing an associate’s degree at Southwestern Illinois College.
In spring 2020, shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic began, McLennan found herself without a regular source of income as businesses closed during the stay-at-home order in Illinois. Later that year, an injury further limited her ability to work and reduced her income to a fraction of what it had been previously. The scholarship support McLennan received allowed her to stay in college and concentrate on completing her bachelor’s degree.
“I have always wanted to be a writer and a journalist,” she said. “I am so happy to have not backed down from my dreams. This financial support has allowed me to stay focused on that dream uninterrupted.”
McLennan also appreciates the opportunity to push herself in new directions through her journey of lifelong learning. After graduation, she plans to continue her internship in publishing and eventually start her own company.
“I envision creating a company that seeks new authors and unheard-of talent,” she shared. “I aim to showcase voices that young people can see themselves in by publishing fiction that not only entertains readers but also empowers them.
“I also want to support and advocate for proper access to reading materials in low-income neighborhoods and school systems. Reading molded my childhood and is something I am very passionate about because it fueled my desire to educate myself and continually push for my dreams.”
Photo: Dana McLennan will earn a bachelor’s in mass communications from SIUE in December 2021.
