Olin alums invest in the future with $1M gift for undergraduate scholarships

For Dawn and Chris Bloise, both BSBA 1997, a college degree represents a stepping stone to a better life.

As undergraduate students, they were keenly aware of all the sacrifices their parents made so they could go to college. It was a privilege to attend Washington University, and Dawn and Chris were intent on securing the education and skills required to obtain career success.

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This story by Constance Gibbs from Washington University Advancement originally appeared on the Spirit of Washington University website. Click to see the entire story.

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The couple met during a semester abroad in London for Olin Business School students. The program offered experiential learning in one of the world’s preeminent economic and cultural hubs. While there, Chris, now president and managing partner of Court Square Capital in New York City, interned with a financial services company.  Dawn, a former vice president of marketing for Digitas media company, worked for a marketing firm. Both credit their internships as instrumental in their career advancement.

“Not many people get married at their alma mater, but we did,” Chris says. “We’re both very cognizant of how we got to where we are today.”

We did not do it alone; we needed a lot of support and a little bit of luck. WashU is a big piece of that.  

Christopher Bloise

As staunch advocates for the value of a WashU education, the couple has given $1 million to endow the Dawn and Christopher Bloise Scholarship for undergraduates with financial need. The unrestricted gift for scholarships allows the university to distribute the funding to students in any school. “We believe that a WashU education transforms lives,” Chris says. “We support scholarships because we want other people to have the same opportunities we had.”

Read more about Dawn and Christopher Bloise's story and more about the university's Make Way campaign.