From service to scholarship: Lauren Clippard’s mission to provide access to education

By Vicki Christian
Fisher College of Business

A trip to Kenya opened Lauren Clippard’s eyes to the importance an education plays in an individual’s life. It also spurred her desire to provide an individual halfway around the world with the same opportunity she has at Ohio State.

As she travelled throughout Kenya as part of a mission trip last summer, Lauren, a third-year finance student, noticed many residents lacked access to clean drinking water and electricity and that whole families lived together in a single room. Working with Young Life, a nonprofit ministry organization, she built houses, hosted sporting events and helped out at a camp, where for some individuals it was their first time ever sleeping in a bed.

But what she became acutely aware of in the country was a lack of access to education.

“We visited several schools but discovered a lot of students end up dropping out at the high school level because they can’t afford resources like pen and paper or a uniform to attend school,” said Lauren. “These kids know how rare it is to learn but they're so passionate about it. I met this girl who had a book by Jeff Bezos that she read five times. It was her dream to go to university someday and become an entrepreneur like him.”

Outside the classrooms, Lauren watched as children found ways to keep up with their education, including using rocks on the side of a metal house or sticks in the ground to write and solve math problems. These sights made her wonder how she could make a difference in such a faraway place.

“This experience really opened my eyes to how fortunate we are to have access to education,” she said. “If someone has the chance to go to college there, then they have the chance to break cycles of generational poverty, not only in their family but in their community as well.”

She discovered a Young Life sponsorship program that funds students across the world to attend college. Lauren immediately began planning how she could contribute.

“Being at a university where everyone rallies around sports, I decided to host a tailgate party and bring people together to not just raise money for the sponsorship program but also raise awareness of what a privilege it is to be at Ohio State, attend classes and have access to all the resources we have here,” she said.

As soon as she returned from Kenya, Lauren began planning the logistics of the event: finding a location on campus, securing donations, marketing the event, selling tickets and enlisting volunteers for the party.

A former Ohio State swimmer, she had connections in the athletic department and secured several event auction items including basketball tickets, a pregame tour with the chance to meet head basketball coach Jake Diebler and signed jerseys from Ohio State football players. She also secured gift card donations from several campus-area restaurants and food for the tailgate party.

She marketed the event by partnering with an Instagram account affiliated with Ohio State football team players, creating a promotional video with former football Buckeye Kamryn Babb, posting on her own social media accounts and collaborating with athletes to repost on their personal accounts.

Her “Tailgate for Tuition” party was held prior to the Buckeyes’ game against Rutgers in November and drew more than 115 attendees. Through individual ticket sales, raffle tickets and gift baskets full of gift cards and Ohio State gear, the tailgate raised $13,421 — enough to cover a four-year scholarship providing full university tuition, funding for school-related expenses and a stipend for living expenses for a student.

What she didn’t know prior to the event was that the individual who was selected to receive the scholarship was someone she met during her stay in Kenya.

Andy Morman, the Young Life Developing Global Leaders campaign director, flew in from Seattle, Washington, to attend  Lauren’s tailgate. He informed Lauren that an individual named Moses would be receiving the scholarship.

Moses is a local leader at one of the Kenyan high schools, Lauren said. He’s passionate about promoting student development and helping kids stay off the crime-driven streets.

“I worked with Moses on a couple of projects when I was in Kenya,” she said. “He has a dream of creating a school in the slum area once he finishes university. He's one of eight people that live together in a small hut. It's cool to be able to send someone I know to university and know that his education will have a generational impact in his community.”

In a video shown at the tailgate, Moses shared his gratitude.

“I would like to thank all Ohio State students for fundraising for my school fees and my academic life,” he said in the video. “I say thank you for your commitment and contribution. I’ll make sure I work hard to fulfill my dreams and also to make you proud.”

Lauren said she is grateful for the opportunity to provide Ohio State students valuable perspectives about access to education, as well as a chance to showcase the power of the Ohio State community in a meaningful way.

“I wanted to share my heart and bring back what I experienced in Kenya to show other students how blessed we are to be at Ohio State,” Lauren said. “I accomplished that goal and as a community we accomplished the goal of sending one student to college. It was special to see how the Ohio State community rallied around something bigger than a game.”