IU Northwest is an integral part of Marianne Milich’s life’s journey. She started out as a teller in the campus’s Office of the Bursar and went on to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business from the university. By 2008, she had worked her way up to chief financial officer, overseeing the Office of Fiscal Affairs.

But Milich wasn’t your run-of-the-mill university student-turned-employee. She didn’t begin working toward her bachelor’s degree until she was already in her 30s with two children.

Despite full-time employment and a hefty bunch of family obligations, Milich steadily worked toward her degree. She completed her bachelor’s after 10 years. “It prepared me very well,” she said. “It gave me lifetime skills and helped me progress through my career.”

Milich’s relationship with IU Northwest goes even deeper than her alumna status. Both her mother and aunt worked for the university for years, giving their time and energy to students on campus. Those lifelong connections are a significant reason why the Northwest campus remains so close to Milich’s heart.

The university had been an indispensable part of Milich’s life for years, and she wanted to give back. Along with her sister, Barbara Molinaro, they created a scholarship for IU Northwest students in honor of their parents.

“It was important to us to honor them because of my dad’s love of learning and my mom’s thrill and joy of seeing her students succeed,” Milich said. Today, the Dan and Carrie Ziza Scholarship is awarded to assist students in the School of Business and Economics.

Molinaro stresses how important education was to her parents. Her father worked toward his degree while working in a steel mill to support the family. Despite this, Molinaro said “he would never settle for a B.”

With such a huge focus on the merits of education and serving university students, it’s no wonder why Milich and Molinaro decided to honor their parents this way. Milich’s first-hand experience working in the bursar’s office also showed her the great need for scholarship funds.

“There are people struggling to go to school. If we could change one student’s life, that would be so rewarding for my mom and dad,” she said. “They struggled, and they worked so hard.”

Both Milich and Molinaro hope their scholarship enables students, traditional or otherwise, to gain a well-rounded education. Their parents worked through so much adversity in an effort to be educated, and the sisters see these funds as an opportunity to honor their parents, as well as support the university and find personal satisfaction in helping students along the way.

After all, philanthropy doesn’t just help someone in need—it allows the donor a chance to make a difference and achieve a strong sense of fulfillment.

Milich wants students to know that, while paying your way through college is challenging, it’s well worth it in the end. “Don’t give up,” she said. “Take it a step at a time, and try to find the resources because there are so many scholarships available.”

There’s so much to learn from Milich and Molinaro, about both education and the importance of giving back. But Molinaro perhaps sums those lessons up best. “Education is power,” she said. “If you have an education and the will to do something, you can do it.”