For Fordham students juggling tuition bills, part-time jobs, and family obligations, a new round of scholarships from Santander US is offering something rare: breathing room.
This spring, 13 students earned Santander Open Scholarships, totaling $95,000 in tuition funding. The scholarships are designed for students who are working hard and need additional financial support to achieve their goals.
The bank has awarded 61 Open Scholarships nationally thus far this year as part of its launch of the Santander Open Scholarship fund, one of two new scholarship funds announced this past August. Each Open Scholarship is worth up to $20,000, spanning up to four years of study, and is granted based on a combination of academic merit and financial need. Santander is awarding a second round of scholarships this spring as part of the fund initiative.
Lorna Ronald, PhD, director of the Office of Fellowship Advising, attributed Fordham’s success to both the students’ outstanding academic and extracurricular achievements and the support from her staff and partners, such as the University’s Career Center.
“To receive a fifth of the awards nationally, it just exceeded our expectations on every front,” she said. “It’s great to see that Fordham students are really among the best in the country, and that our support systems are among the strongest in the country, too.”
An Introvert Finding Her Voice
Layla Macedon, a freshman from Staten Island, was awarded $15,000. She’s currently pursuing a 3-3 pre-law track that will allow her to enroll in law school after three years. A self-described introvert, she found that after participating in the mock trial club during high school, the structure of a courtroom setting made public speaking feel natural rather than daunting.
Macedon is the second-oldest of seven siblings, and while she’s secured other resources for tuition, the scholarship carries weight beyond its dollar amount.
“This is really big, because honestly, it takes away a lot of stress,” she said, noting that it’s one less student loan she’ll have to rely on. “When things like this happen, it motivates me and reinforces in my mind this is what I’m supposed to do.”
From Vet Tech to Accountant
For Julianna Seixeiro, the timing of her $5,000 scholarship couldn’t be better. She has almost enough credits to graduate a year early. Her current financial package covers 18 credits per semester; to finish early, she needs 19 credits. The Santander scholarship will cover that extra credit, allowing the New Jersey native to enter the workforce sooner than expected.
“This was such a blessing, not having to come up with that money out of pocket,” she said.
Seixeiro, who is majoring in accounting at the Gabelli School, chose to focus her Santander scholarship application essay on her employability—one of the bank’s three pillars for a prosperous society, alongside education and entrepreneurship. It was an easy choice, given that she’s already held several jobs. She’s worked at a school for students with disabilities and as a veterinary technician at a local animal hospital. She will intern at EY this summer, and hopes to work in the accounting field after graduation in May 2027.
Criminal Defense Law in His Sights
Nathaniel Ogilvy, a junior majoring in psychology, received $5,000 from Santander. Upon graduation, Ogilvy, who grew up in Battery Park City, plans to attend law school and pursue a career in criminal law.
He joined the Fordham Undergraduate Law Review last year and is currently completing his first “note”—a piece that identifies an unresolved legal problem and proposes a solution—which will be published in the journal.
The scholarship means a lot to him, both because his father is a Fordham graduate and because it would have resonated with his mother, who died in his first year.
“My family has been able to pay tuition one way or another, but every semester, it’s always a bit of a scramble,” he said. “My mother was very emphatic that she wanted me to get through my undergraduate schooling with no loans whatsoever. So getting this scholarship is instrumental in fulfilling that desire.”
An Expanding Partnership
The scholarships are a continuation of Santander’s growing investment in Fordham, following the nearly $500,000 the bank committed to the University last year for experiential learning. Holly Curtis, Fordham’s assistant provost for corporate relations, said the relationship has matured well beyond traditional campus recruiting into something more collaborative—and that the university’s internal coordination has been key to making it work.
“The relationship has really evolved into a true strategic partnership,” she said. “Our internal collaboration makes it possible for us to be a really engaged partner externally.”
