STORY: Matthew D. Hill ’06 Endowed Scholarship Makes First Student Award
The first-ever recipient of the Matthew D. Hill ’06 Endowed Scholarship has been selected, marking an important milestone in expanding need-based and merit aid opportunities for Olin students.
Established by Hill in 2022, the scholarship recognizes students for their academic excellence and commitment to Olin’s core values of collaboration, curiosity and positive impact.
“Giving back to Olin has been something I always knew I wanted to do out of gratitude for the opportunities that Olin has afforded me as both a student and an alum,” explained Hill. “After supporting great causes like the Alumni Merit Scholarship Fund for many years, I felt there was a gap to be filled between their long-term vision and my desire for both more immediate impact and to make a personal statement about the importance of practicing gratitude in the Olin community.”
Giving back to Olin has been something I always knew I wanted to do out of gratitude for the opportunities that Olin has afforded me as both a student and an alum.
After supporting great causes like the Alumni Merit Scholarship Fund for many years, I felt there was a gap to be filled between their long-term vision and my desire for both more immediate impact and to make a personal statement about the importance of practicing gratitude in the Olin community.”
Matthew D. Hill ’06
Hill partnered with Olin’s development team to establish the endowed scholarship as a way to demonstrate the meaningful impact an individual alum can make. “I have a long way to go in realizing my ambition of paying forward the generosity I received by fully supporting a student each year,” he said, “but I’m excited to see that vision take a big step forward as we make our first award this year.”
“This scholarship represents so much of what makes the Olin community special — a connection and commitment to support each other,” said Sam Michalka, interim dean of academic programs & associate professor of computational neuroscience and engineering. "It is incredibly meaningful to see Matt’s vision become reality through this first award, and to recognize a student whose academic excellence and personal character reflect the values this scholarship was created to celebrate.”
“This scholarship represents so much of what makes the Olin community special — a connection and commitment to support each other,” says Sam Michalka, interim dean of academic programs.
The inaugural award reflects both the strength of the Olin alumni community and the enduring culture of generosity that continues to shape the college and support its students.