UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State alumna Mary Ward is honoring her Pennsylvania roots with a commitment to establish the Ward-Igwé Family Matching Scholarship in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST).
The endowment was built on Ward’s gift of $12,500, plus a $12,500 match from her employer, Capital One. Penn State alumnus C. Frank Igwé — through the Igwé Family Matching Scholarship Program for first-time scholarship gifts from College of IST alumni — matched that total to bring the value of the endowment to $50,000.
“We are truly grateful for Mary’s generosity, which will make a Penn State education possible for deserving students, and for Capital One’s support of its employees’ philanthropy,” said Andrea Tapia, dean of the College of IST. “And we remain thankful to Frank, whose wonderful program continues to inspire IST alumni to give back.”
The Igwé Family Matching Scholarship Program helped Ward take the first step toward supporting students in need.
“The thought of giving back can seem daunting,” she said. “But I’ve realized that you don’t have to make a huge gift for it to matter. Giving even a little can truly make a difference in a student’s life and help them feel supported.”
Consideration for the scholarship will be given to IST students who are from Pennsylvania and who face uncertainty about how to make college financially feasible.
“Raised in a small town in central Pennsylvania and surrounded by dedicated farmers and blue-collar families, I witnessed firsthand that opportunities — though often earned through hard work — were never a guarantee,” she said. “Receiving an athletic scholarship from Penn State fundamentally changed the trajectory of my life.”
Ward arrived on campus in 2013 on a softball scholarship and initially pursued electrical engineering before discovering a passion for computers and technology. She graduated from the College of IST with a bachelor’s degree in 2016 and a master’s degree in 2019.
“I balanced the demands of being a student athlete while staying involved in the Women in Science and Technology club, working at the Penn State Project Management office and participating in and leading events such as THON and IST Startup Week,” she said.
Ward now works at Capital One as a lead artificial intelligence product manager, building technology-driven products that create meaningful impact. Her Penn State experience played an important role in shaping how she approaches her career today, she said.
“The College of IST taught me how to think critically, break down complex problems and apply technology to real-world challenges — skills I use every single day,” she said. “As a student-athlete, I learned discipline, resilience and how to manage competing priorities. And my professors consistently encouraged me to push myself and believe in my abilities.”
Ward is passionate about investing time in opportunities that help young women, such as coaching a traveling women’s softball team and mentoring high school girls in technology and robotics. And she wants others to benefit from the education, confidence and community that served as the foundation for her career.
“I know firsthand how powerful it is when someone believes in you and invests in your future,” Ward said. “I hope this scholarship can be that vote of confidence for someone else.”
Ward’s family farm in central Pennsylvania remains a significant part of her life, but she and her fiancé, Paul, now split their time between Washington, D.C., and New York City. They share their home with their dog, Winston, and cat, Leo, “who keep life entertaining.”
“Penn State gave me so much,” she said. “Supporting students is a way to pay that forward and invest in the next generation of leaders who will go on to do incredible things.”
Gifts like the Ward-Igwé Family Matching Scholarship in the College of Information Sciences and Technology advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.