Richmond Scholars Use Enrichment Grants to Expand their Studies and Gain Hands-On Experience

Enrichment Grants provide funding for Richmond Scholars to pursue study abroad, internships, research projects, and other opportunities before they graduate. Four Scholars who utilized the grant during Summer 2025 share their experiences.

Ashley Wilson ‘25
Supplied future classroom & library
Category: Other

Using Enrichment Grant funding, Ashley was able to create a library for her future 5th grade elementary students and stock her new classroom.  Ashley spent her time at the University of Richmond as an Elementary Education major, looking to expand her knowledge by gaining her teaching license in Virginia before pursuing her Master’s degree and then eventually her EdD.   

Ashley was able to fill her library with books such as graphic novels, classics, poetry, fiction, sports, and culturally responsive collections.  The culturally responsive collections included perspectives from a variety of authors that touched on Immigrant and Refugee, LGBTQ+, Disabled and Neurodiverse, Asian and Asian American, Black and African American, Latinx/Latine, and other Multicultural Perspectives.  

Ashley shared, “I would recommend this activity for future Richmond Scholars. This grant is a great opportunity to work towards career or academic aspirations. Having access to funding helps alleviate the stress of finances when taking on a new opportunity.” 

Georgia Leakey ‘25
Fatness in Space: VMAP Capstone Project
Category: Research

Georgia used her Richmond Scholar Enrichment Grant to complete her senior thesis in the Visual Media and Arts Practice (VMAP) program. With guidance from her mentor, Professor Erling Sjovold, she expanded her work into large-scale oil paintings exploring themes of fatness, space, and embodiment.  This artistic direction was previously limited by the high costs of materials, but Georgia was able to use the grant to cover essential supplies, enabling her to experiment with figure and color studies, and ultimately produce the centerpiece works for her thesis exhibition. 

Looking forward, she envisions a future in the arts built on the confidence, discipline, and ambition this project fostered.  Reflecting on the impact of the grant, Georgia shared that the grant funds “encourage artistic ambition, exploration, and experimentation, and have helped me develop a confidence and routine surrounding my work. I think that other Richmond Scholars with interests in the arts should feel encouraged to use this resource to fund independently led projects as well as long thesis projects, just as I did with my year-long project.” 

Tsion Maru ‘27
Developed Konjo Brand
Category: Internship

Tsion spent the summer expanding Konjo, a media brand she co-founded through the Business Endeavor Program. What began as a student project has grown into a creative platform focused on improving representation of Black women in the beauty industry. With support from her Enrichment Grant, Tsion and her collaborator built out their digital presence that allowed her to continue the brand’s mission to showcase diverse portrayals of Black women and challenge monolithic beauty standards. 

The project gave her an opportunity to strengthen her technical and professional skills through photography, editing, design, and brand promotion.  She hopes to grow Konjo’s audience and looks forward to building a career in advertising or communications, with the long-term goal of becoming a creative director.  Tsion shared that with this project, “I will be a more competitive applicant and have a better base to grow on when I get a job in the industry. All of my work with Konjo is included in my digital portfolio which serves as a display of the progress in my work and my accomplishments as an undergraduate student.” 

Toby Tate ‘26
Music Senior Capstone
Category: Research

Toby completed his senior capstone project in music by writing, recording, and producing a full-length album of original material. Drawing on five semesters of independent composition study with Dr. Benjamin Broening, as well as professional experience interning at Figure 8 Recording in Brooklyn, he brought together his skills in composition, sound design, and engineering to create both an album and an immersive live performance. The concert featured a small ensemble of acoustic and electric instruments, combining classical and electronic sounds with field recordings and ambient textures. 

Toby used the Enrichment Grant for essential equipment purchases and professional collaborations. He plans to apply this work toward graduate study in composition, with the long-term goal of pursuing multidisciplinary creative projects that span music, sound design, and visual performance. Toby shared his process, “The specific instruments I will record with include the Moog Matriarch synthesizer, bass guitar, vibraphone, guitar (electric and acoustic), piano, and voice. The manipulation and editing of the material from these instruments will provide me with a strong basis for musical content, but it will also include ambient sound such as dogs barking, bird song, or wind in the trees.” 

Caroline Perry ‘27
Steps on Broadway's Summer Study in NYC
Category: Other

With Enrichment Grant funding, Caroline spent her summer immersed in dance at the Steps on Broadway’s Summer Study in New York City (SSNYC) program, a conservatory-style experience designed to prepare dancers and performers for the professional world. Through workshops, classes, and mentorship from industry professionals, she gained insight into the realities of a performance career. The program not only strengthened her technical skills but also fostered her confidence as a performer. 

For Caroline, the most transformative lessons were about shifting perspective: embracing progress over perfection, reframing comparison as inspiration, and prioritizing storytelling over technicality. Caroline shared, “While I arrived thinking technical dance skills were of the utmost importance, SSNYC showed me that storytelling is the ultimate ingredient for a captivating performance. I left with a stronger belief in myself and a passion to pursue my professional goals, and I would wholeheartedly recommend this program to other Richmond Scholars interested in dance or theatre.”