Nicole’s Scholarship Story

Full Ride, Full Potential

In spring 2020, just as impacts of the pandemic extended to at-home quarantine, the Phillips Family Scholarship created a life-changing opportunity for four high school seniors from Houston to attend LSU.

Sitting beside their families huddled in front of computer screens, the scholarship recipients were given the news directly by Danny Barrow, vice president for enrollment management and student success. Each of the recipients would receive $43,000 per year for four years – the equivalent of a full ride to LSU for an out-of-state student.

“I have chills thinking about the moment, particularly during a time in our society where there were a lot of unknowns,” said Barrow. “But what we were able to deliver to those students was assurance that it was going to be OK, and that the dream of a college education was going to continue, and that LSU was going to be here for you.”

The significance of the Phillips Family Scholarship goes beyond financial assistance. It represents a commitment to fostering excellence and creating pathways that elevate the lives of students like Nicole Marino, a senior in mass communication — and one of the first Phillips Family Scholars to graduate.

“I never really thought it was a possibility. Out-of-state tuition was just way too much for me and my family, but the scholarship made it possible for me to even be here,” Marino said. “I think the benefit of this scholarship that the Phillips family has generously given is letting us open our eyes to see what we can do.”

For the past five semesters, Marino has served both as a news reporter and news producer for Tiger TV, LSU’s student-run, on-campus news station. Her experiences in the classroom and in front of the camera have landed her a new job at Baton Rouge news station WBRZ.

“The Phillips Family Scholarship gave me Tiger TV,” she said. “LSU is a great school for student media. It’s one of the top in the country.”

“I would never have had this opportunity if it wasn’t for the Phillips family.”

“We are laser focused on ensuring that talented, high-achieving students all around the world are seeing LSU as an authentic destination,” added Barrow. “Scholarship opportunities are critically important, especially for students where maybe the cost of education to come to LSU just doesn’t seem feasible. But now these students are able to say there are no issues, and they have the experience of being taught by some of the worldclass faculty members we have here on our campus, that their futures are limitless. There are tremendous possibilities, and it all starts with a scholarship and an opportunity to study at a flagship institution like LSU.”