Every October, the Foundation and Grants Office hosts the Legacy Scholarship Reception, where student recipients and donors meet to celebrate academic excellence and contribute to meaningful conversations about higher education’s instrumental influence on their journeys, families, and future career aspirations. On Oct. 4, our community reveled in the charitable acts of strangers who wish to support the next generation of leaders to succeed. An extraordinary turnout and inspirational story from former justice-involved citizen turned Educational Partnership Programs Coordinator Jarret Orcutt marked an unforgettable occasion this year.
Nobody Needs to Wait a Single Moment Before Improving the World
On this brisk autumn evening, crowds entered the V. James Eardley Student Center, donning suede jackets, vinyl stilettos, and silky ties with creative designs, renewing purposes: a semester with blank slates for opportunities to achieve personal, professional, and academic victories. The charity freely given to the College is mesmerizing, and it has, more than once, saved students who tragically lost their motivation to continue. Many reasons affect this decision, but one that stands out is that financially, it’s impossible. With the cost of living at an all-time high, they can’t afford it. On the brink of abandoning their studies, a scholarship can profoundly improve lives. Whether with families to feed, low-income obstacles, or living alone, the individuals setting aside funds for the underprivileged to persevere toward the finish line make TMCC an inclusive and treasured institution.
The TMCC Foundation gathered this group of revelers to toast to some fabulous statistics, including:
- Total amount of scholarships awarded so far in 2024-2025: $1,123,650
- Number of scholarships awarded so far in 2024-2025: 1,000
- Number of students awarded scholarships so far in 2024-2025: 687
- Number of Donor Scholarships awarded: 183
“We are humbled by the generosity of our community and their continued support of TMCC students. Through their financial assistance, our students can positively change their lives, fulfilling their dreams and educational goals without the added stress of how to afford it,” said Samantha Bellwood, Scholarship Manager.
Following dinner, with a warm welcome to the stage and an ovation from guests, Orcutt, in his jet-black suit and necktie with a cream-toned collared shirt, confidently rose behind the microphone to voice his remarkable account: from prisoner to liberation through higher education.
TMCC President Dr. Karin Hilgersom, Foundation and Grants Executive Director Gretchen Sawyer, Jarret Orcutt, and Augustine 'Joey' Kennedy, a welding student advocating for his fellow justice-involved peers.
“I was born and raised here in downtown Sparks. My parents struggled financially, but they loved me. Still, the reality of being poor hit hard. I remember getting only socks for Christmas one year. I had a hard time seeing the other kids at school showing off their brand-new stuff. I was on free school lunches, which made me acutely aware of what I didn’t have. When I was fourteen, I figured out selling a little weed could make me quick money, and it felt like a way to get what I was missing,” Orcutt began.
“I was repeatedly locked up as a juvenile and eventually sent to the Nevada Youth Training Center, a reformatory for boys. That’s where I developed the identity I carried for years – outlaw, hustler. At seventeen, I tried going to college for business right here at TMCC, thinking it would help me excel in my newly chosen path. But studying and schoolwork didn’t fit into that life. I dropped all five classes and moved on. By the time I was eighteen, I was already carrying a gun and dealing in large amounts of dangerous drugs,” Orcutt continued.
“I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I had big dreams. I wanted to make tons of money. In my mind, I was better than the rest. And for a while, it worked. At twenty-four, the Drug Enforcement Agency came knocking. I was arrested and sentenced to prison. My mindset back then? You do the crime; you do the time. I treated it like a badge of honor. That self I had shaped over the years deepened while behind bars,” Orcutt recollected.
“Who am I?” Orcutt asked himself with ten years left to serve. He hadn’t been a father to his children, and his behavior’s ripple effect wounded his family and society. He contends that how we label ourselves, trapped with a mental description, limits us from chances to experience possibilities. Exiting the justice system can be tremendously challenging. Many characterize themselves as ex-con or parolee, leaving no room for a future where they redefine who they are. He started to see his nature in a fresh light, striving to be compassionate and a loving dad. He desired to reform what he witnessed firsthand to be a broken structure. College became the route forward once again.
He applied for numerous scholarships and gratefully secured economic aid to enroll, altering his internal depictions of himself through his work and setting audacious goals like a 4.0 GPA. He resonated with the audience, congratulating them on persevering through their hardships, and while there are battles yet to face, staying true to what brought them to this moment will triumph. Clashing with yourself, being ashamed by your past, and unlocking the courage to realize what you deserve is a complicated, intrinsic face-off known as “imposter syndrome.” Orcutt believes breaking through this barrier by recognizing its falsehood can free you from brands we so harshly sear into our brains.
Orcutt’s narrative reminds us of the power higher education has. It extends its reach to those trapped in the darkness of unworthiness, calling on faculty and staff who heroically uplift and forge lasting relationships with you. We commend the people endeavoring to contribute the resources we offer to assure you it is possible to earn your degree. The Legacy Scholarship Reception is a beautiful gathering where ambitious, diverse backgrounds can bond, impart wisdom, and rejuvenate their excitement for learning.
“I am a 4.0 graduate, summa cum laude, a father, a blessed husband to a gorgeous wife, and I give unconditionally to those around me. I am now a full-time employee of TMCC, overseeing our justice-involved program. I see others struggling to find the right path and identity. I get to watch them change their lives. I will never go back to prison or commit another crime. My son is on his way to college instead of jail. My family and everyone around me have been made whole by education, by TMCC. The support from the foundation, grants, and scholarships made my success possible,” Orcutt ended his speech.
For more information on Foundation scholarships, please visit the Foundation and Grants Office or call 775-674-7648.