Founders' Scholar: Caitlin Doherty '15

Founders' Scholar: Caitlin Doherty '15

Caitlin Doherty photo

Caitlin Doherty graduated in May 2015 with degrees in anthropology and Spanish. She was drawn to California from Virginia and said going to school out of state was more affordable than going to a state school there. Her parents had intended to help her pay for her undergraduate degree, but then the economic crisis of 2008 hit and it changed everything. It was a terrifying reality check.

She was a freshman in high school and, at that point, Doherty said she knew her best bet would be scholarships — the bigger the better, the more the merrier.

She threw herself into her academics. Some wondered why she didn’t get a job to help pay for school, but her thought was if she did well enough in school it would pay for itself. Doherty, who even in middle school looked for a way to stand out through the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) program, took classes such as genetics and biotech and biomedical engineering. She viewed her academics as her job. She learned how to work hard, graduated with a GPA of 4.4 and says her hard work paid off.

Even with that, Doherty every year relied on about $20,000 in student loans to pay for her education. But, she said, it was the difference between getting an education and not. Among her many accomplishments while at USD was a research project through the David W. May Collection.

“I think it’s worth it,” she said. “It’s a worthwhile investment, but the amount is terrifying. The Founders’ Endowed Scholarship really helps. I would hope donors understand the nature of the investment. It’s someone’s life that hangs in the balance. We as students think about them. We’re grateful to them and we depend on them. Every part of my future rests on this education and it’s not something I take lightly. ”

— Krystn Shrieve

To learn more about the University of San Diego Founders’ Gala, happening November 14, 2015, or to give to the Founders’ Endowed Scholarship Fund, please visit http://www.sandiego.edu/foundersgala