Giving feels good: Katie Watkins

For this Ohio State admissions director, donating to the College of Pharmacy is easy when student success is so evident.

Katie Watkins will never forget the day she received a college scholarship. The scene played out like a movie: Watkins opened the envelope with her mom and they both began jumping up and down, screaming with joy.

“It was so significant because it felt like someone believed in me. Somebody thought that I was worthy of that money. They believed that I could do something good with it,” she says. “I’ve always carried that feeling with me, and I always knew I was going to give back because of that.”

Now the Director of Recruitment and Admissions at The Ohio State University’s College of Pharmacy, Watkins pays forward by donating to scholarship funds for her pharmacy students.

“I see daily the impact that they make in the community and in health care. I’ve advised them. I’ve worked closely with them, and I know that it’s a worthy investment,” she says. “I know the relief that money brings to them because I talk to them about it. I see those things firsthand, so it’s an easy thing for me to do. And it fills my cup to see them succeed, knowing that I played a small part in that.”

Having given to Ohio State for eight years, Watkins knows her donations are making a difference.

“Even if my gift isn’t funding a student front to back, all the way through college, it’s helping a student take one step forward.” - Katie Watkins