Scholarship Spotlight: Alex Ortiz ’19

When Alex Ortiz ’19 graduated from Northwestern this spring with a degree in mathematics, he became the first person in his family to earn a college degree. A native of Santa Fe, New Mexico, Ortiz was able to attend Northwestern with support from the Mark D. and Janet S. Hassakis Scholarship, which is awarded to promising students from rural or other underrepresented areas, or who have overcome obstacles on their path to college.

The Hassakises established their scholarship at Northwestern through blended giving, or a combination of outright and deferred gifts. The deferred component of their gift—a bequest in their estate plan—will provide additional funds for the scholarship at the end of the couple’s lifetimes, enhancing its impact.

This fall, Alex began a graduate program in mathematics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with the goal of becoming a math professor. “The people I met at Northwestern—from my mentors in the math department to the students I met through extracurricular activities, such as the undergraduate math society and Summer Bridge Program—have given me a platform for starting my professional career,” he says.

“I would like to thank Mark and Janet Hassakis for giving me the opportunity to come to Northwestern,” Alex says. “My scholarship allowed me to study physics and math, and to pursue my passions to the fullest degree.”

Invest in the future of Northwestern students like Alex Ortiz. Contact Northwestern Gift Planning at giftplanning@northwestern.edu or 800-826-6709 to learn more.