Bequests create an enduring legacy for one’s values — and few planned gifts do that as powerfully as the final wishes of Ruth (Janke) Johnson ’38, C.Mult. ’39.
A Berkeley honors student and retired language teacher, Johnson passed away in 2013 just days before her 96th birthday. She treasured her Cal experience and wanted to ensure similar opportunities for future generations of young people.
Her bequest, which was matched dollar-for-dollar by dozens of generous donors, has done just that. The Ruth Johnson Undergraduate Scholarship Match Program amassed more than $10 million in scholarship support that will benefit high-achieving, financially needy students at Berkeley in perpetuity.
In all, the match established over 50 new scholarships that are already supporting students who might not otherwise afford a Berkeley education.
Representing a broad range of study areas, recipients include women such as 20-year-old Sabrina Hua ’19 (below), a mechanical engineering student from San Francisco. She is the only child of immigrant parents and the first in her family to go to college. She was thrilled when Berkeley accepted her, but became so worried that she scrambled to apply for some 20 scholarships to help pay for school.
Sabrina Hua ’19
Today, Hua says she is delighted to be debt-free. For instance, the scholarship freed her to volunteer for a research project designing tiny robots inspired by cockroaches that eventually might assist in search-and-rescue missions. Hua, who hopes to pursue a career in medical devices, also has mentored underserved high school students for a robotics competition.
“All children deserve access to a good education,” says Liz Lawler ’87. “If money makes it impossible, that’s horribly sad.” She and Greg ’86, her husband, found a way to upturn that situation when they eagerly stepped forward to create a scholarship through the match.
For campus leaders, the influx of scholarships is invaluable, particularly during this time of growing need and dwindling state support. About 62 percent of all Berkeley undergraduates receive some form of financial aid. Cruz Grimaldo, director of Financial Aid and Scholarships, says the Johnson program’s “commitment to undergraduate education will only grow over time, expanding access and opportunity.”
