2025-2026
Your generosity is instrumental in shaping what WashU can do.
You empower qualified and motivated students to access a world-class education.
Scholarship support offered Sarah Johnston the opportunity to pursue her dream of receiving a rigorous education. As a creative writing and anthropology double major, Sarah leverages all the opportunities WashU has to offer, embarking on study abroad programs in Ireland and South Africa, engaging in undergraduate research through the Merle Kling Undergraduate Research Fellowship, and honing her craft as a creative writer through Spires, the university’s intercollegiate art and literary magazine.
“My scholarship is the reason I am at WashU. Without it, I likely never would have found my passion for English literature or a desire to pursue it at a graduate level.”
Sarah Johnston, Class of 2027
Through unrestricted scholarship gifts, you ensure the world’s top students can discover their dreams and unlock their potential as scholars, leaders, and changemakers — regardless of their ability to pay.
You ensure students have the tools and skills to lead in an ever-changing future.
Through initiatives like the Bauer Leaders Academy, WashU students are redefining leadership through values and connection with one another, allowing them to develop leadership as a skill, rather than an innate character trait.
Being a leader is not just about being the loudest voice, it’s also about being the biggest listener, understanding all the different components that people in your groups bring, and how you can come together to be cohesive.
Natalia Ramos, AB ’26
Saying, ‘Hey, I want to lead,’ that’s good. But actually having it manifest in whatever you’re doing in your daily life is something completely different. The Bauer Leaders Academy helped me know what type of leader I wanted to be.
Ryan Seaton, Class of 2027
You improve the health outcomes and lives of people across the world by facilitating critical research.
Innovative research is central to WashU’s mission. With your support, WashU researchers can focus their energy on making groundbreaking discoveries.
Researchers at WashU Medicine have developed a method to predict when someone is likely to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease using a single blood test, with models predicting the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms within a margin of three to four years. This is just one example of how research redefines possibilities.
“Our work shows the feasibility of using blood tests, which are substantially cheaper and more accessible than brain imaging scans or spinal fluid tests, for predicting the onset of Alzheimer’s symptoms.”
Suzanne E. Schindler, MD, PhD, WashU Medicine Department of Neurology
You help build communities that flourish.
WashU launched Contamination Level Evaluation and Analysis for Neighborhoods — or CLEAN STL — in the wake of the tornado that swept through St. Louis in May 2025. Through soil and air quality tests and analysis, the project intends to examine the environmental health of the neighborhoods devastated by the tornado and provide actionable steps to residents to ensure they can recover and rebuild safely.
Modeled after the University of Southern California Public Exchange’s CLEAN initiative, which was launched following the 2025 California wildfires, the outcomes of CLEAN STL will extend beyond just the city limits of St. Louis.
What has happened with this tornado is not that different from what happened with the wildfire. It’s not that different from what can happen in a hurricane. As we see our climate changing, these catastrophic events will be on an uptick. There should be some commonalities across all of these events that we can draw from to develop a response plan for communities.”
Dorian Traube, Neidorff Family and Centene Corporation Dean of the Brown School
Thank you!
Through your support of WashU this past year, you continue to transform lives and drive positive change in our global community by developing students into leaders, enabling experts in every field to solve intractable problems, and generating discoveries that benefit all of us. With you, we can create a brighter future together.
