Your Impact
When you support Skidmore College, you ensure that our mission is carried out in the following key areas:
Creative Futures
At Skidmore, creativity is more than an artistic pursuit. It’s a way of thinking that encourages students to ask questions, explore unfamiliar ideas and approach challenges from new perspectives. Guided by the belief that “Creative Thought Matters,” Skidmore brings creative thinking into every discipline, giving students the freedom to connect ideas and put them into practice. Through hands-on learning, collaboration and opportunities to explore their interests, students discover what they can accomplish when curiosity and creativity work together.
What does creative thinking look like in practice? At Skidmore, it can mean taking an idea from one field and applying it in another, experimenting with unfamiliar technology or finding a new solution to a complex problem.
Meet Hamza M. ’27, a computer science major whose summer research project brought artificial intelligence, robotics and creative problem-solving together in an unexpected way: teaching a robotic dog to walk on two legs.
Teaching a Robot Dog a New Trick
Hamza M. ’27, Computer Science Major
Hamza M. ’27 spent the summer teaching a robotic dog named the Unitree Go2 to do something extraordinary — walk upright on two legs. With guidance from Assistant Professor of Computer Science Wenlu Du, Hamza built an AI system designed to help the robot balance, move, and eventually switch between walking on four and two legs. “I had never done robotics before, though I always wanted to,” Hamza shared. “This project felt like the perfect opportunity to combine my interest in robotics with my passion for AI.” Through trial and error, he learned to merge coding, physics, and design thinking into practical problem-solving. Thanks to the Faculty-Student Summer Research program, Hamza gained experience that not only expanded his technical skills but also deepened his appreciation for perseverance and creativity in scientific discovery.
Access and Opportunity
For Skidmore students, a college education can open doors to experiences that extend well beyond the classroom. Students can explore new interests, put their learning in a broader context, and take on leadership roles that help them grow in confidence and independence.
For Maddy M. ’26, an anthropology major and studio art minor, that exploration has taken her from a travel seminar in Ireland to a semester in Indonesia, where she studied social change and visibility within LGBTQIA2S+ communities. On campus, she teaches yoga, serves as a tour guide, and helps welcome incoming students through Skidmore’s outdoor orientation program.
Read how Maddy’s time at Skidmore has taken her in directions she never expected. She is grateful for the opportunities donor support has made possible, including the chance to explore the world and find confidence in her own path.
Finding Room to Explore
Anthropology Major, Studio Art Minor
For Maddy M. ’26, Skidmore represents the ideal blend of academic exploration and personal growth. Drawn to the College’s vibrant community and interdisciplinary opportunities, she found a home in the Anthropology Department while nurturing her passion for art. Beyond the classroom, Maddy teaches yoga through Skidmore’s Religious and Spiritual Life program and serves as a tour guide, helping future students find their place on campus. As a leader in the Skidmore College Outdoor Orientation Program (SCOOP), she mentors incoming first-year students, fostering connection through outdoor adventure and mindfulness. Study abroad has also shaped her worldview — from a travel seminar in Ireland with President Conner to a semester in Indonesia researching social change and visibility within the LGBTQIA2S+ communities. “I’m so grateful for the opportunities Skidmore has presented to me,” Maddy shared. “Donor support makes it possible for students like me to explore the world and find confidence in our paths.”
Transformative Student Experience
For Aidan S. ’28, an interest in emergency medical services led to a summer internship with the Eastchester Volunteer Ambulance Corps. After earning his EMT-B certification at Skidmore, he proposed the internship himself and joined a team responding to emergency calls in three New York communities. The experience gave him a firsthand look at public service and helped him recognize that his future might lie in teaching rather than medicine.
Read how Aidan put his EMT training to use and discovered an unexpected direction for his future.
A Summer on Call
Aidan S. ’28, Undeclared
For Aidan, serving as an emergency medical technician with the Eastchester Volunteer Ambulance Corps (EVAC) offered a powerful introduction to public service and an unforgettable summer of learning. After completing his EMT-B certification at Skidmore, Aidan proposed the internship himself, joining a team of first responders who serve the communities of Bronxville, Eastchester and Tuckahoe, New York. Each day looked different: Some shifts meant hours at base awaiting calls, while others put him on back-to-back 911 responses, assisting paramedics with patient evaluations, taking vitals, transporting individuals, and maintaining ambulance inventories.
The experience sharpened his critical thinking, communication, and teamwork in high-stakes environments — and ultimately helped him clarify his future direction, leaning toward teaching rather than medicine. Thanks to the Summer Experience Fund, Aidan was able to pursue hands-on learning that strengthened his confidence and prepared him for whatever path comes next.
Unquestionable Value
You help spread awareness of our unquestionable value
and the role it plays in paving paths for career and personal success.
Through scholarships and grants, every student can have the opportunity to access a quality education without the burden of tuition weighing on them and their families. You are opening doors for exceptional students from diverse backgrounds who aspire to be Skidmore College students.
Watch how you help create a passion for learning through hands-on opportunities and experiences for students like Zoe Pagliario.
The Anne T. Palamountain Scholar Award
Your support benefits students—Like Liz Bracht ’24—who, because of financial need, might not otherwise be able to attend Skidmore.
The 45th Palamountain Benefit at Skidmore College honored Liz and supported the Joseph C. and Anne T. Palamountain Scholarship Fund. Bracht, a psychology major and dance minor, received the Anne T. Palamountain Scholar Award for her leadership and service.
Watch how you help equip students like Liz with the resources and support they need to succeed.
SEE-Beyond Awards Program
You help foster creative thinking and real-world learning experiences, which are transformational for Skidmore students.
The SEE-Beyond Awards Program at Skidmore College empowers students to apply their academic knowledge in unique summer internships, offering a $6,000 grant to support ambitious projects. Part of the Zankel Experience Network, these awards aim to reduce economic barriers, enhance professional skills, and foster academic growth through hands-on learning.
Read how you help create unique learning opportunities for the next generation of Skidmore scholars.
From diplomacy in Switzerland to medicine in Tanzania
By: ANESU MUKOMBIWA ’24
From touring the corridors of the United Nations in Geneva to improvising makeshift tourniquets in Tanzanian hospitals, Skidmore’s SEE-Beyond Awards program has empowered students to turn their academic knowledge into hands-on adventures through unique summer internships.
Part of the Zankel Experience Network’s suite of programs that promote year-round, hands-on learning opportunities, SEE-Beyond encourages students to transform their academic knowledge into exciting, real-world experiences. Awardees receive a $6,000 grant — the largest stipend provided by the College for summer activities — designed to reduce economic barriers and support ambitious projects regardless of financial need. This hands-on learning experience highlights how practical engagement can enhance professional skills and accelerate academic growth.
“SEE-Beyond Awards recognize the potential of the proposed experience to utterly transform students’ relationships to their major or minor,” said Associate Dean of the Faculty and Professor of Biology Corey Freeman-Gallant. “SEE-Beyond is about growth, and students should think big.”
Skidmore Scholars in Science and Mathematics (S3M)
You help clear the pathway for alumni like Edvin Leon Rios ’19 to pursue their dreams in a variety of STEM fields.
The Skidmore Scholars in Science and Mathematics (S3M) program, established in 2007, has significantly impacted the lives of 130 students, increasing the percentage of STEM majors at Skidmore. S3M offers scholarships to academically competitive, financially disadvantaged students from underrepresented groups and includes a summer program, academic support, and an alumni network.
Read how your support helps to create generational change for students like Edvin Rios.
S3M: Scholarships changing lives
By: PETER MACDONALD
A program that began in 2007 with just 24 students has, 16 years later, shaped the lives of 130 students pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) disciplines at Skidmore.
The Skidmore Scholars in Science and Mathematics (S3M) program provides scholarships to academically competitive but financially disadvantaged students from underrepresented groups interested in STEM.
Thanks in part to S3M, the percentage of students majoring in science and math has increased from 20% to 33%.
In keeping with the interdisciplinary thrust of the program, S3M scholars have majored in 19 different disciplines — all nine science offerings, but also social work, American studies, dance, and more.
Program highlights include a transitional, five-week summer program for rising sophomores with mini-courses and an opportunity to intern with faculty members conducting research. S3M also provides academic support like peer tutoring, study groups, mentoring and advising, and an invaluable alumni network.
Where are they now?
Senior Teaching Professor of Mathematics Rebecca Trousil, who directs S3M, says the program works with students to chart their academic and professional paths and help them identify research opportunities, internships, first jobs, and post-graduate programs.
S3M grads have become data analysts, physicians, park rangers, cyber security specialists, engineers, and more.
It’s such a privilege to watch the S3M students discover their passions and chart their own course during their time at Skidmore and beyond.
Senior Teaching Professor of Mathematics Rebecca Trousil, S3M Program director
The steps to the Federal Reserve Bank
Edvin Leon Rios ’19
S3M scholar Edvin Leon Rios ’19, who enrolled at Skidmore through the Opportunity Program (OP) with virtually all of his college costs covered, is a regulatory data analyst for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He is also pursuing a federally funded Master of Science in statistics with a concentration in data science at Baruch College.
As a Mexican immigrant from a single-family household in the Bronx, Rios arrived on campus for the OP Summer Academic Institute with virtually no idea of what was in store for him. But he brought with him his longstanding mindset: “Find and pursue opportunity.”
That opportunity presented itself during his first year at Skidmore, when Rebecca Trousil taught Rios’ Pre-Calculus class in his first semester and his Calculus I class in his second semester. The S3M director would ultimately become Rios’ faculty advisor, which the math major and economics minor says was hugely beneficial in preparing for his professional future. A summer internship with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) led to a full-time post-college job offer. He also traveled abroad to Spain, solidifying his hard-won independence.
At his May 2019 Skidmore Commencement, Rios remembers feeling like both he and his mom “graduated together.” He also remembers her saying, “You’re not done, right?” He wasn’t!
Uncompromising Commitment
Your support helps maintain an uncompromising commitment to education and premier liberal arts offerings.
There’s something special about the faculty at Skidmore College. They not only root for you in the classroom, but they’ll also sit in the stands for your basketball game and come to your music recital or research presentation.
Because of your commitment to the future success of our students, many faculty members, like Professor Jeff Segrave, are spreading the joy of learning throughout the campus. Watch this video to see his incredible impact.
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“Creativity is the heartbeat of the Skidmore education. It permeates every aspect of Skidmore, from the culture to the classroom. It makes for an exciting liberal arts experience and fosters a tremendous joy in learning. To be able to think creatively and critically — to contemplate beauty and art, science, the humanities and civic engagement — prepares students for a lifetime of learning.”
—President Marc C. Conner