Griffons EMPOWER
Missouri Western State University will always hold a special place in my heart. My time at MoWest helped shape the person and professional I would become, and I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities I received as a student. Scholarships were an important part of my own college journey, helping make my education possible and allowing me to focus on building a future I might not have been able to imagine without that support. I remember thinking, “One day, I hope I can give back and support others.”
My belief in the power of education also comes from my Mom. She was a first-generation college student and a single mother who earned her degree from Missouri Western in 1982 at the age of 30—with her seven-year-old daughter watching. At the time, I was simply a little girl watching my Mom go to school. Looking back, I realize she was doing so much more than earning a degree. She was changing the trajectory of our family and showing me that education could create possibilities that might otherwise seem out of reach. That belief in the power of education stayed with me. It became more than something I valued personally—it became the foundation of my career. I have spent more than 25 years working in EdTech, dedicating my career to helping organizations that serve the business of education.
Years later, I had the honor of creating the Helping Adult Learners Excel (H.A.L.E.) Scholarship in my Mom’s memory. The scholarship supports first-generation single mothers pursuing their education and represents a deeply personal way for me to pay forward the generosity and belief that helped shape my own life. I know firsthand that a scholarship can be more than financial assistance. It can be the encouragement someone needs to believe that their dream is possible. I have been fortunate enough to meet several H.A.L.E. recipients, and they have each shared with me how impactful this scholarship has been in helping them keep going.
That is what MoWest means to me. It is a place where an opportunity can change a life—and where that change can continue through the generations. I am honored to be able to give back to the university that helped shape my story and to help create opportunities for another student to write hers. Because sometimes, what looks like a scholarship today becomes a degree, a career, a changed family, and a legacy tomorrow.
Richmond is an accomplished and results-driven executive leader who advocates for women in leadership. She witnessed firsthand what an education can do for a student. Watching her mother put herself through school while raising her and working full-time, she learned the value of education, determination and resilience. That experience is why she is passionate about empowering the next generation of non-traditional and first-generation students.
“At seven years old, I couldn’t possibly understand what her determination would mean for my future. I only knew that Mom was going to school. Looking back now, I realize she wasn’t just earning a degree; she was changing the trajectory of our family.”
“Because she believed education mattered, I grew up believing it mattered too. That belief shaped my choices, my career, and ultimately the opportunities I’ve had throughout my life.”
For Heather and her mother, MoWest became part of a legacy that began with one mother’s dedication, sacrifice and belief in the power of education. What started with her mother’s decision to pursue a degree created opportunities that would reach far beyond the classroom—and continue to shape the generations that followed.
Today, Heather understands that those opportunities are made possible because someone believes in students and invests in their potential. Leaders like Heather don’t succeed on their own. They are shaped by the people, experiences and opportunities that help them discover what is possible.
Your support can help create those same opportunities for today’s students. A gift to the Missouri Western Foundation can help a student overcome barriers, pursue their education and build a future they may not have thought possible. Just as Heather’s mother changed the trajectory of her family, your generosity can help change the trajectory of a student’s life.
Make your gift today and invest in the next generation of leaders like Heather. Because when you give, you don’t just support a student—you help create the opportunities that can define their future.
Heather Richmond ’98 B.S. Marketing
Founder, HigherRelevance™ Founder, Helping Adult Learners Excel (H.A.L.E.) Scholarship