This year’s Evening with Legacies and Leaders event showed gratitude to the University of Illinois Chicago’s donors for making UIC a powerhouse for excellence, equity and upward mobility. The annual dinner welcomed more than 250 guests and served as an opportunity for UIC to thank its donors and show them the impact of their support, partnership, guidance and vision.

“Being able to pursue a high-quality education at no cost to me or my family is a blessing unlike any other,” said Victor Leal-Painter, a fourth-year student in UIC’s College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Thanks to the Adeline Barry Davee and Ruth Dunbar Davee History Scholarship, he was able to devote his full attention to studying history instruction while minoring in anthropology and classics.

Though he is not a first-generation college student, Leal-Painter recalled seeing his father manage paying his student loan payments along with a mortgage and utility bills, among other expenses. Hearing the news of his son’s award, Leal-Painter’s father instantly understood the value that resources and time would allow: “I’m just so glad you’ll never have to go through what I went through.”

Over a three-course dinner served at Chicago’s Old Post Office, UIC’s community echoed Leal-Painter’s gratitude for the donors, volunteers and advocates in attendance. 

“Throughout tonight, you’re going to hear a number of stories like this; of ways your giving changed trajectories for students and families, researchers and the communities we serve,” said Tom Wamsley, vice chancellor for advancement at UIC. Wamsley shared the many reasons UIC stakeholders have said they donate — for “a shot at an education or a pivotal relationship with a faculty member,” but also “a sense of affect[ing] real change in the world and acting on that by giving.”

Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda noted that, as a minority-serving institution, 56% of UIC’s students are Pell Grant-eligible, about half are first generation college students, and the university’s clinics and hospital address the most underserved communities in Chicago and Illinois. Acknowledging that many in attendance have likely contributed toward faculty research, awards or professorships, Miranda connected these efforts to UIC’s “powerful legacy of social justice that builds on the work of the legendary social reformer Jane Addams.”

“We are witnessing remarkable progress and transformative change. We owe a great deal of this success to you, our dedicated friends and supporters. You believe in our mission, you support us in efforts to advance that mission, and you hold us accountable for making progress against that mission,” she said, before introducing Carol Petersen, leader of UIC’s Wellness Center.

Petersen noted the value — and the impact — of donor efforts; 52% of the university’s pop-up pantry users have five items or fewer in their home pantry, and 75% said having access to food would lessen their stress and worry—contributing to their ability to study.

Recalling an international student who returned to the Wellness Center with the intention of giving back, Petersen cited his motivation: Of all the countries he studied in, the U.S. was the only one that fed him.

“Each of your contributions advances a student’s life in meaningful ways,” she emphasized.

After presenting her vision and highlighting many of UIC’s programs and pride points, Miranda shared, “we owe a great deal of this success to you, our dedicated friends and supporters. You believe in our mission, you support us in efforts to advance that mission and you hold us accountable for making progress against that mission.”