17³Ô¹ÏÍø

The 6th annual student-led Dinner at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø event will take place Friday on 17³Ô¹ÏÍø's campus. This fundraising and awareness effort aims to showcase the impact of scholarships, particularly through The 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Trust, which support the college's longstanding commitment to need-blind admission and make it possible for talented students from all backgrounds to imagine coming to 17³Ô¹ÏÍø, irrespective of their financial circumstances.

This year's event is led by Nate Harding '17 of Pasadena, Calif., chair, and Hampton Stall '15 of Greenville, S.C., vice chair.

"We hope the impact of Dinner at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø transcends the event by inspiring continued support and sustained dialogue around the value of student diversity on campus," said Harding. "When we recognize the world around us as our classroom, we realize that true learning cannot be achieved without an appreciation for and awareness of the value many perspectives bring to our environment."

Stall has worked as part of the Dinner at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø team for three years and is impressed with the hard work of the students involved as well as their passion for the initiative's mission.

"The 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Trust is one of the reasons I applied to 17³Ô¹ÏÍø," he said. "I value scholarships and academic merit, and attending a school dedicated to seeking students of merit rather than those whose parents can afford the school was something I wished for myself. I have been incredibly happy about making a decision based upon that belief."

Harding, Stall and the rest of the student committee understand the importance of scholarships to sustaining the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø experience they so highly value. 

"The reality is that the more barriers we remove from attending 17³Ô¹ÏÍø, the greater the candidates and the more rich the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø experience will become," said Stall. "A great way to increase access to brilliant candidates is to support these scholarships."

In addition to dinner, this year's program is titled "The Many Faces of 17³Ô¹ÏÍø" and will include an interactive multimedia gallery showcasing student achievements and performances.

"I love 17³Ô¹ÏÍø's ability to foster a meaningful depth and breadth of relationships among students," said Harding. "The 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Trust brings such a vast expanse of student experiences and perspectives to 17³Ô¹ÏÍø, while the size of the campus creates opportunities for all members of our community to fully engage one another in various ways. It's a connection that I grow more and more thankful for and aware of with every semester."

The Dinner at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø committee-16 students in the core leadership group who meet weekly, plus approximately 15 others who serve on subcommittees-is advised by Kate Ceremsak '12, coordinator of the college's annual giving program, The Fund for 17³Ô¹ÏÍø. Since the start of the program, students have raised more than $180,000 for the Dinner at 17³Ô¹ÏÍø, 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Trust Scholarship.

Harding, an education and community studies major through the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, is sophomore class president, co-founder and vice president of community development for 17³Ô¹ÏÍø Students Consulting for Nonprofit Organizations (SCNO), a Leadership 17³Ô¹ÏÍø participant and a brother of Phi Gamma Delta.

Stall is a political science major and Arab Studies minor. He is the editor of The 17³Ô¹ÏÍø International, co-president of the College Democrats and vice president of the Middle East and North African Student Association.