NC State connection: I’m a business and tech app analyst for NC State Advancement Services and a 2000 graduate with a Bachelor of Science from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Primary area of giving: I give to the Dean’s Academic Excellence Fund in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the All Gifts Great and Small Fund in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Both are unrestricted and help support the areas of greatest need within the colleges.
Why is the area you support extraordinary?
I have an extra special place in my heart for animals — I’ve always been an animal person and always will be. Every day our amazing researchers here at NC State are finding ways to make nutrition better for these animals and safer for consumer consumption. This research could be life changing to many all over the world.
Recently, I had the pleasure of working with the amazing dermatology team at NC State Veterinary Hospital. My fur baby was battling a skin issue that my local vet just could not locate. Dr. Aurore Laprais and her team found the cause of Boss Hogg’s issues and made him happy again!
What connects you to the areas you’ve chosen to support? What kind of difference do you hope to make?
My love and passion for animals connects me to both the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Both of these colleges have been influential to my life from helping my dog to furthering my education and experiences. I hope that with my support, both of these schools will continue on paths of success. I enjoy knowing that my gifts contribute to NC State being able to attract top faculty and students from around the world — being ranked No. 1 best value among North Carolina public universities — and that my gifts help to make our Think and Do the Extraordinary Campaign a huge success!
What was special about your experience at NC State?
Growing up, I wanted to be a veterinarian and I followed my dream to NC State after graduating from high school. I majored in animal science and agribusiness management in hopes of one day owning my own practice. However, one day while visiting my parents my daddy opened my eyes when he asked, “What are you going to do when someone brings in a really sick animal to you? How will you cope with the pain and suffering?” It was a reality check and lead me to the industry side of the animal world. My passion for animals continued as I worked for the NCSU Meat Goat and Forage Educational Unit one summer. It helped me realize the impact and benefits of research. To this day, my passion for the benefits of animal research still holds strong and leads me to give back to the College of Veterinary Medicine and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
How does private support impact your work? What’s special to you about Working at NC State?
My department is the backbone of fundraising for our great university. I train and support all development staff on Advance, our alumni and donor records database. I help my team prepare monthly reports for others to see the funds our amazing development officers and their support teams are raising for the betterment of NC State. We gather and hear stories about how private support help students obtain an education and provide resources in classrooms for technology and research. It makes me proud to be an NC State employee when I hear how this work changes lives, and I’m excited to be a part of that. NC State feels like a family and every employee is important in his or her own role and without them, we would not be complete.
What would you say to encourage faculty, staff or alumni to invest in NC State?
Every gift matters and every dollar makes an impact! We all have an opportunity to help solve the challenges of the world [by investing in the students and faculty at NC State].
– Sarah Keener ’18, Development Communications and Stewardship Student Writer
This post was originally published in Giving News.
