Class Chair Reflections Alan Brett Leahey (GSP Class of 1982)

For the last twenty years, I have had the privilege of interviewing applicants to Georgetown, and they have been an amazing group of bright, articulate, and personable high school seniors from every socioeconomic background. When these students are accepted, I always hope the financial aid package offered by Georgetown is comparable to that given by other universities offering the student admission. If we are not competitive in this aspect, it becomes very difficult to maintain our goal of fulfilling the full financial need of all accepted applicants.

Georgetown always attempted to offer strong financial aid packages, but they often came out weak compared against other Ivy’s, especially those with larger endowments. It is extremely frustrating to see a high school senior fortunate enough to be granted admission to his or her number one choice – Georgetown – and then declining admission because of the cost.

Three years ago, when Dean Deacon proposed the Georgetown Scholarship Program (GSP) to the AAP, I was thrilled and excited that Georgetown would be taking a giant step to ensure that any accepted student would be able to afford to attend Georgetown. The concept is fantastic: having alumni join their classmates to give a gift to the GSP for at least five years, and then helping this group identify with current scholarship students. I cannot think of a more important place to give my donation to Georgetown. Please grant these talented students the same opportunity to attend Georgetown, no matter their ability to pay the tuition. These students, some of the best in the nation, will be the brick and mortar Georgetown bases its enlarging foundation on. They will be the successful alumni that come back to continue funding this University, and this exceptional scholarship program.