When she was ten years old, Katherine Lopez Aguilar and her family moved to the United States to seek the American Dream. The Fall 2022 Bryan School graduate and Hannah Steele Brownell Scholarship recipient’s parents were business owners in their home country, Honduras, and at a very young age, she wanted to follow in their footsteps.
“When I was little, I pretended to have my own office in my room,” Katherine recalls, “and I fell in love with the idea of becoming a business owner. Once I was admitted to the Bryan School, I knew I had made the right decision.”
Receiving the Brownell Scholarship played an important role in Katherine’s education at UNCG: She realized people believed in her. Her family did not have to worry about paying her tuition and were able to see this first-generation college student walk across the stage with degree in hand.
Hannah Steele Brownell graduated from Woman’s College in 1938 with a BS in secretarial administration. After graduation, she worked on Capitol Hill until she married Colonel Eugene Brownell, with whom she raised three daughters. Throughout her life, Hannah maintained a deep commitment to education. Her grandfather paid for her to attend college during the Great Depression, and she, in turn, helped each of her six grandchildren with their education. Her daughters – Penelope Copeland Brownell, Deborah B. Brown, and Betty B. Bordner – wish to perpetuate Hannah’s legacy by helping students at UNCG through this scholarship.
Says Katherine, “Thank you to Hannah’s daughters for opportunities created by this scholarship. You alleviated financial pressures and because of an internship, I had my dream job waiting for me after graduation.”
By Christine Garton, Advancement Communications