In the early 1990’s Diana Fahl began working at Indiana University East, she saw there was a financial need for single mothers. Diana came up with the idea to create a fundraiser cookbook, with faculty, staff and students submitting recipes. Diana served as the editor, and it was a hit; they reached the level for two endowed scholarships. Ten years later Diana saw that the student body had changed to a more traditional student body with a large percentage of freshman students not advancing to sophomore level. Diana proposed a new scholarship as a two-fold scholarship, the high school graduate would receive the first component of the scholarship their freshman year of college, then, as the student proceeds to their sophomore year they would get an increased additional payment from the scholarship. Diana served as editor of this cookbook and two more endowed scholarships were created.
For many years, Diana was successful in writing proposals for grants:
- Assisting Richmond students on an AP Life Science Camping Immersion Trip.
- Supporting 8000 Environmental School Field Trips to Cope Environmental Center each year.
- Cope benefited from a grant to create a display pond that will educate visitors on environmental life cycles and adaptations.
- Rushville Schools received financial help with purchasing a CARVEY (a 3D carving machine that allows you to make quality objects out of a variety of materials including wood, metal, and plastic) for their science labs.
- A grant that provided the trees, mulch, machinery, and labor to build an orchard in a food desert. A book was written about this orchard and its creation and Diana was featured in the book.
After decades of working with the community and creating needed scholarships, Diana is overwhelmed with pride to have a science scholarship in her name.
This scholarship may be awarded to students who are a Randolph County resident, graduate from a Randolph County school, and plans to pursue a degree in the Sciences (not including nursing) at Indiana University East.