About

A Message From Our 2011-2012 Chair, Board Of Trustees

I remember when I first heard that Disney Pictures was planning to make the “Remember the Titans” movie, I thought to myself “I’m so glad I went to TC – what an amazing story my school is!” It’s now been thirty years since I graduated from TC, which continues to be an amazing story, and I’m still so very proud to be a Titan.

Certainly a major part of this story is the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria. The SFA is an organization dedicated to ensuring that seniors graduating from TC Williams, who have the grades and the desire to continue their studies, will have financial resources available to make that a reality. This year, as the SFA begins its second quarter-century, I am honored to serve as the Fund’s Chair.

The numbers are incredible: nearly $8 million in scholarships have been given out to over 3,700 hard-working and deserving students. This past year alone we helped more than 300 students – that’s more than the entire graduating class for many high schools!

But here’s what I really like best about the SFA–there are 11 TC graduates on the Board of Directors, including 6 former scholarship winners. More than 200 scholarship winners have donated to the SFA and many others have given back as volunteers. The countless hours and millions of dollars that have been donated to the SFA are really investments in our community; investments that are paying off many times over, and that is what makes the SFA so unique and powerful.

One example is Veronica Raugitinane, TCW ’01. Veronica is one of three sisters who received scholarships. Their mother emigrated from El Salvador and their father from Thailand. With help from the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria, Veronica earned a B.S. in Kinesiology from Temple University, B.A. in Spanish from George Mason and a Doctorate of Physical Therapy from George Washington University. Veronica currently resides in Alexandria and is an orthopedist in private practice.

We are so fortunate to have such generous donors, both corporate and individual, and tireless volunteers who have helped so many students like Veronica. None of this would be possible without them. But as the costs of higher education continue to skyrocket, we need to ask for more help – and this is where you come in. The SFA is a grass-roots organization. It has no large endowment. Instead, we must raise anew each year the vast majority of funds needed to provide scholarship awards. Ninety-two cents out of every dollar you give will go directly toward helping a deserving student achieve the dream of higher education, and set them on a life-changing path.

Whether you’re a Titan, a Titan parent or a friend, please take a minute and consider investing in our community through the Scholarship Fund of Alexandria. You can find details on how to do so, our annual events and many other inspiring student stories on our website. I invite you to be a part of this amazing story.

Jeffrey J. McQuilkin, TCW ’81
Chair, Board of Trustees, 2011-12