It wasn’t all that long ago, following the start of the Great Recession in 2007 and the accompanying burst of the housing bubble, when majoring in real estate wasn’t an appealing option for many Fisher undergraduate students.

But then circumstances began to change. The economy improved, and with more Americans returning to full employment, the real estate market was re-energized. Changes also were happening at Fisher, and as the college revamped the Real Estate program, there was a renewed interest among students.

Interest in the Real Estate program also flourished because of the support of caring alumni and friends who made the commitment to give back and enrich the program by making the educational experience more accessible for students. One such alumnus is Arun Singh, a 2005 Fisher graduate who majored in real estate.

Because of Singh’s generosity and success in the field of real estate, he has helped make it possible for Fisher students to follow in his footsteps and pursue careers in the dynamic field of real estate with the establishment in 2014 of the Singh Family Undergraduate Real Estate Scholarship Fund. Singh, who lives in Atlanta and works for Google Fiber, is the son of Dr. Rajendra Singh, who was a professor at Ohio State in the Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering from 1979 until his retirement in 2015.

As the son of a professor, Arun Singh has always felt Ohio State has been an important part of his life and a source of inspiration for him. For Singh, the motivation to create the scholarship also came from the caliber of students at Fisher today.

“It is inspiring to know that Fisher is generating students that rival the best in the country,” Singh said. “I created the scholarship to support these high-achieving students and to help create an even better Fisher alumni network.”

The impact of Singh’s generosity has made a difference for Cody Myers, a 2016 Fisher graduate who majored in real estate. Myers, now in his first year of law school at the University of Dayton, said he was attracted to real estate because of the numerous opportunities the field offers. For him, it also aligned with his upbringing and the values of working hard to get what you want.

Although the Singh Family Undergraduate Real Estate Scholarship helped Myers fund his education by reducing the burden of school expenses, it also gave him something less tangible, but even more life-changing.

“This scholarship gave me the confidence to know that I am capable of succeeding in the real estate field,” Myers said. “It significantly boosted my confidence to know that my hard work did not go unnoticed. To be recognized by a very successful Fisher alumnus who has achieved so much in the real estate field was an absolute honor.”

Myers hopes to practice real estate law and work as a developer after graduation. He anticipates that his real estate education from Fisher, coupled with the skills he’ll gain from law school, will provide him with a full understanding of the nuances within the industry.

Singh, who returns to Fisher often to meet with real estate students, attended a banquet where he and Meyer met for the presentation of the award. For Myers, it was a meaningful experience that left an enduring impression.

“It was clear that his donation was not done in an effort to boost his own status or for any type of personal gain,” Myers said. “As a result of my meeting and conversations with Mr. Singh, I hope to one day offer a scholarship to Fisher students in a similar manner.”