New Scholarship at Colorado State University Aims to Increase Global Awareness in Students

Note to Reporters: A photo of Patricia Yingst is available with the news release at http://news.colostate.edu.

An Applied Chemistry alumna has created the Patricia A. Yingst Scholarship for the College of Natural Sciences in memory of her parents whose support allowed her to gain an education and travel through Europe after graduation.

Yingst, who graduated in 1957, hopes the endowed scholarship will promote learning through experience and cultural awareness to this generation of students.

“I traveled alone through Europe and when I came back I realized that what I had learned I could never have gotten from a course,” said Yingst. “Looking back over the years I saw how the support and encouragement I had from college and my parents impacted my views. I am at the point where I have enough for me, so now I want to make a difference.”

Yingst’s gift will benefit full-time undergraduates enrolled in the College of Natural Sciences with a 3.2 GPA and a demonstrated interest in multicultural respect, cooperation and understanding.

“This scholarship represents much more than Ms. Yingst’s generosity and a financial boost to our students in the College of Natural Sciences; rather it is a unique way to support the holistic idea of experiential education in a global world,” Janice L. Nerger, Dean of the College of Natural Sciences, said. “The Patricia A. Yingst Scholarship endowment furthers the idea that education reaches beyond the classroom and beyond the current generation.”

Yingst expects her scholarship will help students learn and appreciate the world around them. When in Europe, Yingst had the opportunity to be a guide in the U.S. Pavilion at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels. Over the six months she worked there, she saw magnificent pieces of art by artists from around the world, watched incredible performances and got to interact with some of the millions of people who visited the U.S. Pavilion.

These experiences helped her broaden her views and look at the world in a new perspective.

“As I traveled throughout Europe, I realized that many students in the U.S. have a limited view of the world, and that Americans tend to feel we can do anything we want to without regard for other people or cultures. With the interconnectedness of the world today, that is no longer possible,” said Yingst.

Yingst was also influenced greatly by Professor Willard O. Eddy, who along with Bruce Frye, began what is now known as the Honors Program at Colorado State. Yingst was one of 15 students to be selected to participate in the first experimental honors class in 1957. She attended the classes on Saturday mornings and often left with new perspectives on the world.

After all of Yingst’s experiences and education, she views her donation as a significant part of her life.

“Establishing the scholarship is a real accomplishment for me,” said Yingst. “I feel really good about it.”

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