Whitney Hinze: Leveraging personal experience to help college students

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The life-changing impact of philanthropy is not lost on Whitney Hinze. Her hopes of attending college were almost dashed when a drought hit her family's farm in Round Top, Texas, in 2007. The financial impact was devastating, and Hinze knew she would need financial assistance to fulfill her dream. That's where the Terry Foundation, the largest private scholarship provider in the state of Texas, comes in.

"The Terry Foundation saw my application to Texas A&M University, and they invited me for an interview," Hinze said. "I was fortunate to be selected as a Terry Scholar and receive a full ride."

After earning her bachelor's degree in agricultural business, Hinze pursued a master's degree in higher education at Penn State. She once again found ways to finance her education via internships and scholarships, and by serving as the first graduate assistant at the Penn State Presidential Leadership Academy.

Following graduation in August 2015, Hinze was a co-curricular programs coordinator in Penn State's College of Information Sciences and Technology for one year. Due to family circumstances, she moved back to Texas and joined the Jindal School of Management at the University of Texas at Dallas. There, Hinze served as the undergraduate student services coordinator, as well as an adviser and program specialist. She also taught courses that provided first-year and transfer students with career preparation experiences.

"I loved being in the classroom and watching students have their 'a-ha' moments," Hinze said.

Today, Hinze is the career services coordinator for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M. Her main responsibilities include providing career advising and planning, developing programming, and overseeing college-wide projects. Hinze said it has been a blessing to return to the place where her journey began.

"My aim as a higher education professional is to help students figure out where to go for help, or how to ask for the support they need," Hinze said. "I am a walking, talking example of what financial support can allow a student to achieve. I thank the Terry Foundation for getting me started, and I thank Penn State for allowing lightning to strike twice for me."

Hinze lives in College Station, Texas.