As a Spokane native and retired teacher, Carol Ellis has had a deep passion for education in the region for many decades. During her time as a teacher in multiple District 81 schools, Carol realized how impactful education was, not only for her students, but for their parents too.

“When I started meeting the parents, I saw that when they became aware of their own children’s growth as learners, they became interested in becoming students so they could support their families – especially single parents – and that’s what the fund was set up to do.”

In 2007, the Naomi Murphy scholarship was endowed, named after Carol’s mother. The scholarship provides support to single parents who are students at the Spokane Colleges. One of the recipients of this scholarship is SCC student, Laura Hathorn. Laura is a dual major in accounting and business at SCC Colville. The Foundation was able to sit down with Laura this winter and she shared what the scholarship meant to her and her family.

 “Being a single parent, receiving the Naomi Murphy Scholarship means support. It means belief. It means that there are people who really understand and support the work that I’ve done and how far I’ve come.”

Carol certainly does. As a single parent herself, Carol knows first-hand the work that it takes to raise and provide for a family. In fact, Carol even went back to school for her teaching degree when she had two children and was expecting her third! Carol values the many different paths for students’ education and shared, “it was natural [to] choose community college,” when deciding to give to the Spokane Colleges Foundation.

“[Students’] pathways are more diverse and we’re more aware of that diversity now. America’s education system has some real strengths and one of them is community college. There’s nothing else like it in the world. It’s affordable, it works for someone who’s working, has a family.”

Carol’s generosity means students and single parents, like Laura, get the support they need to balance school, work, and family while earning their degree to provide for their family.

Thank you, Carol for helping us make potential possible!