Agnes Drexler Kujawa
Memorial Scholarship
Agnes Drexler was just a girl
when her father fell ill and
became bedridden. When he died,
her widowed mother worked to
support Agnes and her three
sisters. Growing up in a single
parent family with limited
financial resources and the lack
of opportunities for women at
the time prevented Agnes from
pursuing her education.
After Agnes died in 1988, her
children wanted to find a fitting
tribute to memorialize their
mother. A newspaper story about
a scholarship fund for single
mothers inspired them.
Together, Agnes’ son, John, daughter Mary Bayorgeon and daughter-in- law, Nancy, established the Agnes Drexler Kujawa Memorial Scholarship for Single Mothers at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Foundation. The fund provides annual scholarships to single mothers trying to obtain a college degree to improve their lives and the lives of their children. “My family believes that people have a moral obligation to help others,” Mary said. “That’s the way the world becomes better by people doing what they can in their own surroundings. Many things can be accomplished by ordinary people.”
During the last 15 years, the
fund has awarded scholarships to
more than 100 single mothers.
The scholarship is renewable,
so some women receive it more
than once. Many are so moved
they send personal thank you
notes with photos of their young
children. Graduation rates for
recipients are very high.
“It is a very moving experience
to read the applications and
hear the stories,”Mary said. “Each story is a little different, but
they all have that common theme
of need, ambition and willingness
to sacrifice for a better life.”
Mary has also included the fund
in her estate plan. The gift ensures
that even after her lifetime, the
fund will continue helping single
mothers do something her mother
could not—earn a college degree.
It is a fitting tribute and one that
would, undoubtedly, make her
mother proud.