Regatta Introduces New Scholarship

IUPUI’s Regatta has decided to double their money donations this year with the introduction of a new scholarship, the IUPUI Regatta Court Royalty Scholarship. The signature scholarship of the event has been included in efforts to strengthen the homecoming culture of the event. 

The Regatta, being in its eleventh year, has continued to grow from the Stefan S. Davis  scholarship fundraiser to a school tradition that has flourished in growing the entire student culture of the university. Originally, the Regatta began as a fundraiser run by Stefan Scott Davis, the Executive Director of the IUPUI Office of Alumni Relations and senior executive with the IU Alumni Association. The scholarship reflects Stefan Scott Davis because he was dedicated to making the Regatta an annual success in its early years. 

The recipients of the scholarships were selected based on campus involvement in extracurricular activities,  philanthropy involvement, and academic success. Throughout the years, the scholarship has provided much needed help to students at IUPUI. The Stefan S. Davis scholarship was the beginning of something that continues  to grow every year.

Now that the Regatta is embracing a homecoming culture, the Regatta Court Royalty scholarship has been added to give students an extra incentive to become involved during the Regatta week. Being selected as  a member of the Regatta Court Royalty means more than just a crown. Winners are also awarded a $500 scholarship.

Even though this is a new opportunity, student awareness has been lacking.

“We also have goals for the future that involve boosting the Regatta Royalty and Regatta Court because it seems that not a lot of students know about that opportunity,” said Natalie Given, the Regatta’s director of social media, in an email.

 Natalie Given, the Regatta’s director of social media, stated in an email 

Reflecting on the lack of student awareness about the event shows how important student interaction is in keeping this tradition alive and strong. Without student support, scholarships such as these cannot exist. This year, Emily Crowel and Bianca Marrufo were crowned as the first Regatta Royalty thanks to their interaction and involvement at IUPUI. 

This year, the Regatta had more teams attend the event than ever before. An event with high expectations certainly lived up to the hype this year. In an email, Riley Gorden, the Associate Executive Director of Administration of the IUPUI Office of Alumni Administration stated,

“This year's Regatta certainly exceeded expectations, with a record number of teams competing in the event, including representatives from most IU regional campuses,” said Riley Gorden, the Associate Executive Director of Administration of the IUPUI Office of Alumni Administration, in an email.