GSEP Graduate Establishes Scholarship to Give Back to Those Who Serve Our Country

"These veterans deserve nothing but our thanks, and it was our intent to help reduce their financial burden in some small way. The beauty of giving a scholarship for us is imagining the number of lives that will be changed as a result of that gift. That one gift can touch so many people in such a positive way. You're really making a difference in our community when you give the gift of a scholarship, so we were happy to do it."

A marriage and family therapist practicing in the South Bay, Evelyn Booth is a proud graduate of the Graduate School of Education, where she earned her MA. Booth says she selected GSEP because of the school's excellent reputation plus its alignment with her goals and values.

"So much good has come from my education at Pepperdine and much of it is unexpected," Booth says. "I found out that employers in the field know the caliber of education delivered at GSEP, so securing training and intern sites was never an issue. That meant that I could move pretty quickly through my licensing hours and become a full contributor to the field, sooner rather than later, which was important to me."

Since then, Booth has made a point of giving back to Pepperdine and its students. A loyal alumna, she serves on the school's Board of Visitors and supports the GSEP Community Counseling Center and Distinguished Lecture Series. In 2019, she and her husband, Curtice, established the Curtice and Evelyn Booth Veterans Endowed Scholarship out of a strong desire to help those who have served our nation obtain the highest levels of education possible.

"Given that Pepperdine's mission includes teaching students to not only become leaders, but to remain in service to others after graduation, we felt that Pepperdine was a particularly good fit for building upon the unique skills and strong leadership abilities many veterans who return from service possess," Booth expresses. "Our intent was that the scholarship help prevent any potential barriers to organizational leadership, teaching or mental health positions veterans might face so that they can further contribute to our community when they return from duty. My husband and I just don't feel that anyone who has served our country in the way U.S. veterans have, should end up being saddled with any more student debt than is necessary. These veterans deserve nothing but our thanks, and it was our intent to help reduce their financial burden in some small way."

Booth believes that in order to thrive in today's competitive world, higher education is more important than ever, which is why she and Curtice make it a point to donate whenever they can.

"There are just so many students from different walks of life that are capable of succeeding at graduate programs, but that may never consider it due to tuition fees which are, of course, vulnerable to increasing rates of inflation," she observes. "The beauty of giving a scholarship for us is imagining the number of lives that will be changed as a result of that gift. It's kind of mind-blowing to think about it. That one gift can touch so many people in such a positive way. You're really making a difference in our community when you give the gift of a scholarship, so we were happy to do it."

The Booths also lend their support to the fundraising efforts of several organizations dedicated to helping abused, homeless, at risk, and terminally ill children in the community.