Paying it Forward
Scholarship Support
The Roman philosopher Seneca said that the true gift in giving is found not in a gift but in the giver’s intention. Nirosha Mahendraratnam’s wish is nothing less than for the next generation of Johns Hopkins students to have the same academic, extracurricular, and community rewards she experienced.
“The opportunity to study at Hopkins, to conduct research, and get involved in the Baltimore community set the foundation for the rest of my life,” says Nirosha, who graduated in May and is now pursuing graduate work in health policy at Pennsylvania State University, on full scholarship.
For her undergraduate studies, Johns Hopkins had been Nirosha’s first choice. And with the help of alumni and friends, Nirosha, of Merrimack, N.H., could attend with less financial burden. “But I know there are a lot of students who wouldn’t be able to come to Hopkins without scholarships,” says Nirosha.
With scholarship support from Charles D. Miller, class of 1949, and Helen Sheats, widow of 1928 graduate LeRoy Sheats, and with a grant from the American Gastroenterological Association, this public health major immersed herself in studies, became active in undergraduate student life, and jumped at the chance to conduct research in ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, alongside Sherlock Hibbs Professor of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Ted Bayless, M.D.
Nirosha also spent spring break in her sophomore year in Mississippi helping rebuild the homes of victims of Hurricane Katrina. “It was two years later, and you still saw just the foundations of houses. I knew I should expect to see devastation, but I was shocked at the extent of it. The people we met were wonderful and thankful we were there to help.”
Nirosha, who hopes to eventually put her training in law and public health to work improving the quality and access of health care, says: “I’m grateful for my Hopkins experience and excited at the opportunities in front of me.
“Johns Hopkins is going to be with me the rest of my life,” she says. “My goal, and that of every graduate, is to make an impact on the world.”
Nirosha Mahendraratnam is already making a difference in the life of her alma mater.
As co-chair of her 2009 Senior Class Gift committee, she rallied her classmates to make a gift to the university as a way of giving back and “paying it forward.”
Almost half of her class made a gift — many writing checks for the symbolic $20.09 — to support the Hopkins Fund, Blue Jays Unlimited, and other departments, programs, and student groups. In all, they raised nearly $20,000, including a matching challenge gift from dean of undergraduate education, Paula P. Burger, class of 1984.
Nirosha opted for her own gift to support the Hopkins Fund, which last year provided more than $1 million in scholarships to Homewood undergraduates while also funding materials and online journal access at the Sheridan Libraries and undergraduate teaching and research. The decision to support the Hopkins Fund was simple, she says — “I gave to the Hopkins Fund because, for four years, I received scholarships from the Hopkins Fund. It helped make my education possible.”
Despite a busy workload at Penn State, Nirosha remains engaged in the life of Johns Hopkins. Today, she’s helping to plan Young Alumni Weekend on the university’s Homewood campus, a three-day celebration that starts Oct. 9.
