South Wesleyan University, the employer of one of the victims of the attack at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., is honoring its fallen employee by offering full tuition scholarships to her four children if they wish to attend the school, USA Today reports.
DePayne Middleton Doctor was an alumna of the university, which honored her as a “warm and enthusiastic leader [who] truly believed in the mission of SWU to help students achieve their potential by connecting faith with learning,” the news site notes.
Doctor was an admissions coordinator at SWU’s learning center and got her master’s degree in management from the university in 1994.
While acknowledging that the scholarships could not compensate the children—Gracyn, Kaylin, Hali and Czana—for the loss of their mother, the school said that it was invested in their future success and honoring their mother’s service.
“We realize the scholarships won’t ease the pain of loss that the children are dealing with now and in the future; however, it is our desire as a community for each of them to know we care about them,” SWU vice president Chad Peters said. “DePayne often spoke about her children and their accomplishments with co-workers.”
“Right now, more than anything, we want DePayne’s children to know we love them,” SWU President Todd Voss told the site. “We want to honor DePayne’s service to SWU and her belief in Christian higher education as an important element in Gracyn, Kaylin, Hali and Czana’s future success.”
Read more at USA Today.