UD named ‘High Flier’ in student support

Cynthia Bukirwa knew what she wanted: to go to college to become a doctor. She just didn’t know how. 

“I applied to 20 schools,” she said. “I just needed one to give me an opportunity … to show me they believed in me. And UD did that for me.”

Bukirwa, a first-generation American and first-generation college student, shared her story at a community-wide event celebrating UD’s national recognition as a “High Flier.” 

Bloomberg Philanthropies and the American Talent Initiative named UD alongside 28 colleges and universities — including members of the Ivy League, elite liberal arts schools and the nation’s public flagship universities — for its national leadership and steady progress in recruiting, supporting and graduating lower-income students.

UD is the only school in Ohio, and the only Catholic institution in the country, to earn the distinction. 

In recent years, UD has grown enrollment of students eligible for the federal Pell Grant by 50% through investments in financial aid and dedicated programs that support community college transfers, first-generation students and others from underrepresented backgrounds. About 20% of incoming students are now Pell-eligible.

“UD has demonstrated the will and the skill to find, support, educate and launch low-income students into lives of opportunity and impact,” said Dan Porterfield, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute, which manages the American Talent Initiative alongside Bloomberg Philanthropies. “The University is a national leader in this area. It has some assets that are really distinctive: the Marianist tradition; the Catholic respect for the whole person; and the understanding of the dignity of each and every person. These values are so profound here, so you start the work in a position of moral leadership.”

“The University is a national leader in this area. It has some assets that are really distinctive: the Marianist tradition; the Catholic respect for the whole person; and the understanding of the dignity of each and every person."

Porterfield, along with leaders from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Wilpon Family Foundation, visited campus in October to hear from students and alumni in signature programs, including Flyer Promise Scholars and UD Sinclair Academy. The group toured The Hub Powered by PNC, stopped at Sinclair College, and met with representatives from the Fitz Center for Leadership in Community and the Greater West Dayton Incubator to learn more about UD’s economic and social impact as an anchor institution and partner university.

“It’s exciting to see how that commitment to lower-income students and to the community is two sides of the same coin,” Porterfield said.

Bukirwa spoke about the barriers she faced in pursuing a four-year education. She moved from Uganda, and after just a year and a half in the U.S., had to navigate a high school experience disrupted by the pandemic. That hasn’t stopped her from thriving at UD and beyond.

Since arriving on campus as a Flyer Promise Scholar, she has become co-vice president of the Multicultural Association of Premedical Students, participated in a medical mission trip to Honduras and completed a clinical research internship experience at UConn Health. Inspired by her mother, who suffered chemical burns in Uganda, she plans to go on to medical school.

“I loved education … and I pursued that,” she said. “I’m going to do everything it takes because I know it’s worth it.”