TCC Announces New Endowed Scholarship Funded Through Campaign for Completion
Published
Tulsa Community College and the Honorable Kathy Taylor, along with her family, announce a new endowed scholarship to help students achieve their dreams of going to college. Named after Taylor’s mother, the Lola Catherine McGarvey Taylor Endowed Scholarship provides access to a college degree for students who have a financial need.
“We know financial challenges are one of the primary reasons why our students fall short of graduating, and scholarships are key to removing that financial barrier. Because of generous donors like Kathy Taylor, our students have access to the support they need to be successful,” said TCC President and CEO Dr. Leigh Goodson.
The scholarship announcement coincides with what would have been Lola Taylor’s 100th birthday. She was born in 1920, the same year women won the right to vote with the 19th Amendment. She passed away in 1974. In describing her mother, Kathy Taylor says she was ahead of her time and broke gender barriers.
“My mother was empowered and never felt bound to the traditional convention held for women, at the time. Progressive and fiercely independent, she developed her own voice early through speech and debate activities in high school and college which are attributes passed down to her children and grandchildren,” said Taylor.
That independent spirit carried Kathy Taylor through law school, becoming an attorney, entering public service as Oklahoma’s Secretary of Commerce and Tourism, and then elected Tulsa’s 38th mayor.
“She instilled in me hope, faith, and confidence that any challenge could be overcome,” said Taylor.
The Lola Catherine McGarvey Taylor Endowed Scholarship will be awarded annually. It is one of nearly 200 new scholarships at TCC funded through the Clearing the Pathway: Campaign for Completion. In 2018, TCC publicly launched the $20 million initiative with the goal of raising $5 million for endowed scholarships, partially funded with a challenge grant from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.
“I can proudly say, with support from community partners and generous donors, we exceeded our campaign goal. I want to thank Kathy Taylor for believing in our students and for helping us remove obstacles for student success through her generous gift, in her mother’s honor, to the Tulsa Community College Foundation,” said Goodson.