"I knew I wanted to do something significant, something lasting, and that's when my major philanthropy started at Wayne State."

Marion Ringe '70, M.A. '77 began her career in fundraising in Wayne State University's Fund Office in 1969. And after stints at the Merrill-Palmer Institute, the Detroit Institute of Arts and Detroit Medical Center, she returned to Wayne State in 2004 and will finish her 50-plus year career at her alma mater. Ringe's deep roots in the Detroit and Wayne State communities strengthened her resolve to give back to the university, and to inspire others to do the same. "Wayne State has always been a part of me, even when I worked for other places in Detroit. I never really left it," she said.

When she established the Marion K. Ringe Endowed Scholarship to support new generations of students, Ringe purposefully made her scholarship for students who show potential, believing that they can have a tremendous impact on their community just as she has. "I was never a stellar student," said Ringe. "That is why I created a scholarship to help good undergraduate students in financial need."

Ringe established a second scholarship in the name of a friend and has set up an estate gift in her will that will help further fund both scholarships.

"It's just a thrill to realize that generations of students will be helped through the years," Ringe said. "I won't know who they are or what they do, but it's fun imagining that some of them will go on to do amazing things! That's why I wanted to support these scholarships in a greater way when I'm gone."