When Ginger O’Neil arrived at the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School Foundation five years ago – right in the middle of COVID – there were no students in the building and few opportunities to connect directly with the young people the Foundation exists to support.
For O’Neil, that gap lingered.
“I realized one of the things I wasn’t doing as well as I wanted to was involving the students in the Foundation,” the Foundation’s executive director said. “The Foundation is set up to help them and improve their experience, and they become some of our biggest donors when they leave. I wanted them to understand the value of that connection while they’re here.”
The idea sat with her for a while – “percolating,” as she puts it – until a year ago, when she met student Anushri Ramesh, ‘26, at PTSA Advocacy Day. What began as a casual conversation in the hall of the Capitol became the spark that launched the school’s first-ever Foundation Fellows: a dedicated group of seniors working alongside O’Neil to support events, strengthen student awareness, and build enduring ties between current and future alumni and the school.
Ramesh was immediately drawn in.
“I was surprised by all the behind-the-scenes work the Foundation was doing,” she said. “I wanted my friends – and really all students – to understand how important it is to our Maggie Walker experience.”
Ramesh already had some hands-on skills in building a nonprofit, after founding We Play Too to bring sports to underserved youths. She brought those insights to help O’Neil turn the Foundation Fellows concept into a fully functioning program. She recruited a seven-student inaugural cohort, and together, they began shaping what the Fellows could be: planners, organizers, ambassadors, and, most importantly, bridge builders.
“The Foundation makes my experience here at Maggie Walker so much better with its invaluable support,” Daniel Zhang, ‘26, said. “I am excited and honored to give back during this school year.”
A Student-Led Approach to Connection
The Fellows’ work is wide-ranging and often personal. One of their first tasks was to call donors to thank them for their gifts. O’Neil sensed it would matter, but she didn’t expect how much.
“The feedback was amazing,” she said. “Hearing directly from a student whose life they’ve impacted was energizing for the donors.”
Among tasks the Fellows have taken on in this first year are mingling with incoming parents at the Foundation-sponsored New Parent Welcome;, welcoming alumni back to campus with building tours; and assisting and speaking at important Foundation gatherings, like Back to School Night and the recent Director’s Circle reception. This spring, the Fellows will help with Grandparents Day and the parent annual fund participation competition.
For students and parents new to the MLWGS community, meeting confident, articulate peers makes the unfamiliar feel welcoming. For returning alumni, guided tours by current students turn nostalgia into connection and often into support.
Those interactions make a lasting impression on the Fellows. Ramesh remembers meeting a Class of 1996 alum whose daughter now attends MLWGS during the New Parent Welcome event. “Hearing his stories of what Maggie Walker once was, the improvements we’ve made and the places we still have room to grow – that was really powerful,” she said. “It gave me perspective.”
That perspective is shaping new ideas as well. For one, Fellows are currently focused on launching the Shamin Hotel Speaker Series, endowed by a gift from Neil Amin, ‘96, and aimed at bringing notable voices to campus and creating a tradition that will last forever. “I’m excited to be involved with the Foundation to bring amazing speaker opportunities for Maggie Walker students,” Alina Laraway, ‘26, said. “Working with the rest of the Fellows is so fulfilling. We’re all working together on this very special project.”
They’re also designing a new online “alumni journal” – part interview series, part publication space, part digital scrapbook – that captures alumni works, connecting the school’s past, present and future.
“Being a Fellow gives me the opportunity to bring new voices into the MLWGS community and show students and families real-world examples of the Walker Way,” Emma Lindsey, ‘26, said. “It also gives me the unique chance to learn from all kinds of interesting individuals, growing my interpersonal skills and intellect along the way.”
Where Support Meets Opportunity
The Foundation’s support touches nearly every corner of the Maggie Walker experience, though many students don’t know it until the Fellows start talking.
Ramesh’s own involvement stretches across clubs the Foundation supports, including Speech and Debate and Model UN.
“The opportunities we have here are what make Maggie Walker so unique,” she said. “It’s important for students to know that the Foundation is behind so much of it – and to know how to contribute so future students get the same experience.”
O’Neil sees that message taking root.
“Donors love hearing from the Fellows,” she said. “They want to see the impact of their gifts. These students show it better than anyone.”