By Niki King
For some alums, like Chris Smith, ’19, ’22, Bellarmine is a family affair.
His mother, Anita Smith ’90, ’10, graduated from Bellarmine with two Nursing degrees; then his two brothers, Aaron Smith ’12 and Jonathan Smith ’14, attended. They even shared a room together on campus, like they did while growing
up. They met their wives at Bellarmine, too. Brittany LaMarche ’12 married Aaron and Catherine “Catie” Meyer ’14, ’17, married Jonathan.
And now, Chris Smith works at Bellarmine as a coordinator for the Student Activities Center.
“We have been around Bellarmine for many, many years,” he said.
When they all gather, they have tons of shared memories and friends. Their connections to the community run deep.
“It really started with my mom,” Chris Smith said. “She knew Bellarmine was a place that created a strong foundation, because that's what she got. And that's how she raised us, essentially, to have that vision of a strong Catholic education
setting you up for success.”
The Bellarmine Alumni Association wants to expand the opportunity for as many alumni as possible to share that legacy experience. The association and the Office of Admissions have unveiled a new $1,000 scholarship to all incoming legacy students who apply.
The scholarship is good for all four years of an undergraduate education, for a total of $4,000.
A legacy student is defined as a child, grandchild, stepchild or step-grandchild of a graduate from Bellarmine University or Ursuline College, the all-female school that merged with Bellarmine in 1968.
“The Alumni Association is here to support our students throughout their journey at Bellarmine and beyond,” said Stephanie Pieper Reilly ’06, ’10 MAC, executive director of the Alumni Association. “Our graduates know firsthand
the value and power of a Bellarmine education, and we are excited to offer the Legacy Scholarship to make that journey possible for even more Bellarmine Knights and their families.”
Parents and grandparents know their children will thrive at Bellarmine, just as they did years before.
The scholarship is renewable for all four years as long as the recipient remains in good standing with the university and maintains a cumulative 2.5 grade-point average at the end of each academic year.
The new scholarship expands a long-standing tradition of supporting legacy families. The Alumni Board of Directors established the Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship in 1980 to recognize and support legacy students. Typically, five to six incoming
first-year students receive that competitive scholarship, which totals a minimum of $4,000. Recipients of the new scholarship will be invited to apply for the existing Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship as well.
“Parents and grandparents know their children and grandchildren will benefit from an inclusive environment committed to career success, ethical leadership and academic excellence. Simply put, they know their children will thrive, just as they did
years before,” said Jordan Kelch ’08, ’20 MAC, Director of Alumni Engagement and Strategic Communications.
That was the case for Leslie Cobb ’93, a current member of the Alumni Association board. Her father, Ben S. Sciantarelli, graduated from Bellarmine in 1961 after a great college experience.
He was proud and excited when Cobb chose Bellarmine, too.
She ran on the cross-country team, receiving athletic and academic scholarships. Like her father, she remembers her time at Bellarmine fondly, even though campus had grown and changed significantly since his time there. The core values that he had benefited
from remained the same.
“You knew everyone. The campus was a community and the teachers cared about you,” she said. “We had a lot of fun and we worked hard. It was a neat place to experience.”
Bellarmine became a third-generation legacy affair for the family when her daughter, Taylor Jones, decided to attend as well. Jones graduated in the spring of 2022 with a nursing degree and is working as a nurse at Norton Healthcare, which has a partnership
with Bellarmine in which students receive scholarships and employment opportunities.
“I loved my time here. I’m so thankful,” Jones said. “They gave me a lot of scholarships and made it affordable. That was another reason I felt like this was the place for me.”
It might be a bit early to consider, but Cobb and Jones joked that if the opportunity arises for a fourth generation to attend college, they would definitely encourage that student to join the family Bellarmine tradition and take advantage of the new
Legacy Scholarship.
How to apply
: To receive the new Legacy Scholarship, simply submit an application
. Applicants will have the opportunity to identify themselves as legacy students in the application process.
Lead photo: Taylor Jones '22 and Leslie Cobb '93 hold a photo of Ben Sciantarelli '61. Photo by Brendan J. Sullivan
Inset photo: Smith family, submitted