BOWLING Green, Ky. — A Western Kentucky University alumnus gifted his alma mater with a scholarship to honor the Black Lives Matter movement.
Juan Dozier ('19, '20) established the Juan H. D. Dozier II Scholarship to support a diverse WKU freshman or sophomore who is enrolled full time, has been involved in leadership in high school or college and aspires to be a leader at WKU.
“The single-most important reason for me to establish this scholarship was to honor the Black Lives Matter movement,” said Dozier. “I want to assist individuals who seek to become leaders in their field of study and in their community. If we want to see change occur, it must start with us and our ability to lead other individuals.”
A California native, Dozier is the son of two military parents. He earned a Certificate in Applied Data Analytics in 2019, and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing with a concentration in Strategic Marketing in 2020, both from WKU. His scholarship is intended to help WKU promote a diverse environment and support students who may not be able to afford college without financial assistance.
“College is not the easiest thing to pay for and having the ability to help other students is something I am proud to do,” said Dozier. “WKU has given me a vast amount of opportunities to become an effective leader, and my goal and passion are for individuals to develop their potential and make a difference in the world around them.”
WKU’s motto, “The Spirit Makes the Master,” is especially true for Dozier.
“We all have days where we want to see change and inspire other individuals, but we also have days where it’s hard to get out of bed,” said Dozier. “What drives us each morning when we wake up must be our spirit—whether that is a spirit to succeed at your craft, a spirit to make an impact on the people around you, or just a spirit to be better than you were the day before. You must know what drives your spirit and run with that, because that spirit inside of you makes and shapes who you are.
Dozier's scholarship is part of the WKU Opportunity Fund, a donor-driven fundraising campaign that benefits WKU students by removing barriers for access to education through needs-based financial assistance in support of recruitment, retention and educational experiences that might otherwise remain out of students’ reach.