The Oregon Tech Foundation awarded $1.1 million in scholarships to Oregon Tech students this year, the fourth year in a row that awards have exceeded $1 million. The scholarships were celebrated Nov. 1 as participants gathered at the Klamath Falls campus and virtually from the Portland-Metro campus for the Annual Scholarship Awards Banquet. This special event honors the achievements of scholarship recipients and recognizes the philanthropic donors who make scholarships possible.
Funds raised through scholarships make a dramatic difference across Oregon Tech. For academic year 2025-26, the Foundation awarded 340 scholarships ranging from $200 to $16,000. These scholarships support students in many ways, including rewarding academic excellence, assisting those with financial need, increasing opportunities for a diverse range of students, attracting and retaining students in specific fields, supporting student-athletes, and helping near-graduates with limited funds complete their degrees.
As a first-year student at Oregon Tech in the Oregon Consortium for Nursing Education, which is a pathway to the OHSU Nursing program at Oregon Tech, Kristalina Derry spoke at the event about how receiving the Columbia Pacific Foundation Scholarship and the King Family Endowed Scholarship have helped her succeed as a young mother.
“Every night when I stay up late studying after [my daughter] falls asleep, and every morning when I quietly get ready before she wakes up, those moments are filled with hope, hope that one day she will see that her mom worked so hard to build a better life for her,” Derry said. “When I feel like giving up, when doubt creeps in, when I think I can’t do this anymore… I look at her beautiful, strong face, and I know I have to keep going. For her. Scholarships are the reason this hope has room to grow. They don’t just help financially; they keep doorways open. They remind students like me that even when life has taken us on a different path, our dreams are still worth pursuing.”
Oregon Tech awards two types of scholarships: endowed and annual. Endowed gifts are most common at Oregon Tech and provide lasting support by being placed in a permanent fund, with a portion of the investment income used each year to assist students based on a wide range of criteria, including need or merit. This sustainable model enables donors like the Garrards to make a continuous impact in the lives of Oregon Tech students while honoring the memory of a family member.
“My father-in-law, Bill, was not only an inspiring figure in our lives, but also in the Klamath community,” Lori Garrard shared about the Bill Garrard Memorial Endowed Scholarship. “My husband Mike and I were determined to keep his legacy of generosity and service alive by creating this scholarship in his name. It may be small now, but it is mighty. Our goal is to grow the scholarship so it can continue to bless Oregon Tech students and play a part in their success for years to come.” The Bill Garrard Memorial Endowed Scholarship is now in its second year of benefiting Oregon Tech students.
Other recently established new endowment funds include the Frank Lynn Hagan ’96 Engineering Scholarship, the John E. Leeper Scholarship, and the Ki Rabe Respiratory Care Scholarship. See a full listing of awarded scholarships here.
To read stories about gifts and beneficiaries or to learn more about establishing a scholarship and being part of Oregon Tech’s next scholarship milestone, visit the Oregon Tech Foundation at www.oit.edu/foundation.
The 2025 Oregon Tech Foundation Scholarship Banquet was supported by elite event sponsor Sky Lakes Medical Center; leadership event sponsor Bedroom Gallery and Legacy Furniture; gold sponsors KLA-MO-YA Casino, Winema Electric, Klamath Basin Behavioral Health, and US Bank; and blue sponsors James and Anna DeHoog and Elevate Physical Therapy Fitness and Performance.
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About the Oregon Tech Foundation
The Oregon Tech Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that promotes and funds the educational, cultural, charitable, and service functions of the Oregon Institute of Technology.
