Summer 2007

Kerzic Scholarship Provides a Taste of the American Dream

Lynda Kerzic Given '77 is the product of an American Dream.

That dream took root more than 100 years ago in her Slovenian immigrant grandparents, who arrived in the United States in the late 1800s to mine coal and raise their families in rural West Virginia. It was passed on to her parents, Albert A. and Frances M. Kerzic, who nurtured the dream and worked hard to bring it within reach of their only child.

Today, that dream lives on in Given, an attorney at a prominent Chicago law firm, who carries an appreciation for the sacrifices made and the value of education in sustaining another American Dream turned success story.

Through a recent gift to The Miami University Campaign For Love and Honor, which has endowed a scholarship in her parents' names, Given is sharing the spirit of that dream.

"My parents, like their parents before them, believed that education was the foundation of one's future and the bedrock of this country," Given said. "My family is the classic American success story, with education serving as the foundation. Opportunity in our society comes from a strong education and a lot of hard work."

Though it may not have seemed like opportunity was just around the corner of the Appalachian village of Davis, W.Va., where both sets of her grandparents raised their families, the foundation was laid early on. Both grandfathers were relatively poor Appalachian coal miners, but they saw bigger things for their children.

"My mother was one of six daughters, and every one of them had some form of college education," Given said. "My mother ended up a teacher, and one of her sisters was a nurse and another sister was an attorney in the Executive Office of the White House."

Her father's path to higher education took a different route, as he joined the U.S. Army in the days leading up to World War II and survived the Pearl Harbor attack. Following the war, he was one of thousands of young American men to take advantage of the GI Bill.

"My father came from an even poorer family than my mother and there was no money for college at all," Given said. "The GI Bill paid for two years of college for him, and when the money ran out, he had to find a job."

After marrying, the couple settled in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, where Given grew up and attended high school. Her father had an office job in the scrap iron and steel business in Cleveland, and her mother taught school. They worked hard, never taking a real vacation, and set the achievement bar high for their only child.

Given finished at the top of her high school class and was accepted at Miami, the only school where she applied. She earned her degree in political science, magna cum laude, and gained admission into the prestigious honor society Phi Beta Kappa. Given also served as president of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, learning life-long leadership lessons.

After fulfilling a dream by earning her law degree from Ohio State, she accepted a position at Chapman and Cutler LLP, where she still works today as a partner in the public finance department. Along with the memory of her parents, Given carries on their appreciation for education and its many possibilities, leading her to endow a scholarship at the same university where she says she enjoyed an amazing college experience.

"I thought what better way to honor their memory and their strong belief in education than by endowing a scholarship in their names," Given said. "Although they lived in the Cleveland-area for more than 50 years, West Virginia was always ‘home' for them. The scholarship, therefore, is targeted toward students from West Virginia."

Given is looking forward to returning to Oxford in the fall for a campus visit with her son, a high school senior.

And the dream lives on.