After Brandt Schottland ’16 graduated from Ithaca College, he moved to New York City and worked in sales until he was offered a job as a technology broker.
“It was a great position that offered significant opportunities for growth as well as great financial gain,” he said. “I had no large monetary obligations at the time and, after doing a little soul searching, I felt it was a good opportunity for me to give back to the school that got me to where I was.”
Inspired by his father, Peter Schottland ’80, a longtime donor and supporter of Ithaca College, Brandt Schottland decided to endow a scholarship fund of his own. Awarded annually to students in the School of Business, the scholarship is intended to relieve financial stressors and allow the recipients to focus on their studies and extracurricular activities.
“If you’re fortunate enough to get opportunities and have some good luck in life, it’s important to help those out who are still trying to find that good luck,” he said. “My dad and my mom both instilled in me to really give back and be a part of something greater.”
Working with Paul Hesler, director of principal gifts at the college, Schottland developed the scholarship criteria to recognize not just the students with highest GPAs or most accolades but those who showed a lot of potential as well.
“For me it was more about whether this person shows promise in more areas than merely academics,” Schottland said. “Paul worked really hard with me to find some great students who showed unbelievable promise.”