Melissa Ascheman-Davis Scholarship

In March, 2016, the Melissa Ascheman-Davis Scholarship was established with the Winona State University Foundation. The scholarship will encourage and support Winona State University students.

Criteria

1. Each recipient must be an undergraduate student enrolled full-time and in good standing at Winona State University (minimum of 12 credits per semester, Fall and Spring)
2. Each recipient must be a sophomore, junior or senior.
3. Each recipient must have a declared major.
4. Each recipient must have a G.P.A of 3.0 or higher. All students with at least a 3.0 G.P.A. should be treated equally (no preference based on a higher G.P.A.)
5. Each recipient must demonstrate financial need, but need should not be based solely on FAFSA.
6. Each recipient must be employed.
e. Examples of leadership/involvement at WSU or in community activities

Biography/Motivation

Melissa Ascheman (Davis) graduated from Winona State University with a Mass Communications degree and Sociology minor in 1993. Melissa passed away in August of 2015. Melissa was married to John Davis, who graduated from WSU in 1993 with a BA in Marketing. She is also survived by her son, Braeden Davis.

Melissa helped develop a successful family business, making sure employees were offered the top 401K matching fees and paid time off, granting paid holidays, from Martin Luther King Day to several other paid holidays through-out the year, and offering the employees a great environment in which to work on a day to day basis. Melissa attributed the company and personal success to the education received at WSU. Many of Melissa’s friends and family were graduates of Winona State University.

This scholarship was formed in memory of Melissa: after a 2 1/2 year courageous battle with metastatic breast cancer, Melissa passed away on August 29, 2015. She would desire that her life efforts reward other Winona State students; they should be blessed by her kindness and generosity.

Melissa donated a large portion of her income to non-profit groups, such as wildlife and humane groups who were in need of help. Over her life, Melissa fostered and found homes for over 15 Golden Retrievers; Retrieve a Golden of MN (RAGOM) was one of her passions and a large part of her life. Melissa also helped pay for heat for several years to a gentleman and his dog with whom she became friends. These are just a few examples of the generosity she gave to others.

The motivation for this scholarship comes from her experience of struggling through college and having to pay back student loans. She felt that overcoming the challenges many face in college, similar to hers, should be rewarded if possible.