Lila Silvern's Legacy

     Lila lived a full life.  From the unimaginable heartbreak of losing a son, whose name bears this scholarship, to the ecstatic satisfaction of many accomplishments in her long career in education and everything in between, Lila lived it all with an open heart and open arms.

     She embraced life and could perceive the life in others; that sparkle of talent or personality that so often people take for granted in their own lives.  Lila would have a vision for how to apply a person's skills or talents to a practical project, or of connecting them to someone or somewhere the person could be useful and flourish.  Even if the person was hesitant to take a new direction or take on more, it was hard to say no to her genuine joy combined with a good cause, such as the scholarship she started.  Lila initiated the scholarship with the idea that it would help underserved students of immigrant families like the ones she had worked with as an educator, and she brought people together as a team to make it happen.

     Many of us lucky to have crossed paths with Lila were blessed with having our lives enriched by her sharing the things that she loved and believed in.  She promoted the arts and education, an active and healthy lifestyle, writing, and storytelling, all while encouraging multicultural interactions.  I often wondered where she got all the energy from to be involved in so many activities; surely, her young-at-heart spirit was a fountain for that. 

     Even though she may have been the oldest person in the room, she was most sensitive and interested in how the youth in the room felt.  Her soul's lens had a way of focusing on things through a kid's perspective and she was open to fresh ideas and new technologies.  In a way, she was the embodiment of different contradictions that benefited others. She was a senior citizen but full of cutting-edge gusto, she was a dreamer and very much a doer, she was practical and yet she would go big.

     One of her biggest dreams was to make more dreams come true.  The dreams of students to be the first in their families to go to college, of students persevering towards higher education despite the odds against them.  Lila worked tirelessly to help our scholarship recipients.  As we continue to carry her torch, we appreciate now more than ever just how much time and effort she gave to managing the scholarship to help our recipients succeed. 

     We want all her hard work to continue to make a positive difference with our current recipients.  With your monetary help, we can continue to provide financial assistance to deserving students.  We will also continue to pair students with mentors to help them along their collegiate journeys.

Lila led the way in this endeavor and inspired by her leadership, we honor her legacy of doing this good work by continuing to support our scholarship recipients, to see them through to obtaining their respective degrees.  We are grateful that caring donors like yourself can help continue making this possible. 

 

Thank you for your support.