Dozens of donors funded woman’s college education

BOISE – Never underestimate the power of a thank-you card.

That’s a lesson Jozey Mitcham, who recently received her diploma from Boise State University, learned early on.

Her attention to handwritten notes sparked a philanthropic community that formed around her and will continue to help other young women.

Mitcham, 24, grew up in Hailey. She graduated with multiple honors and two degrees, one in applied mathematics with a minor in physics, a second in mechanical engineering. Of 60 engineering students, she is among the top three.

She’s taken her Fundamentals of Engineering exam and is confident she’ll pass. That means she’ll be a licensed engineer in a few months, but not before she spends her summer interning at the Best Friends Animal Society, a Utah sanctuary for abused and abandoned animals.

She hopes to make a career using her engineering skills to help animals.

When she received her diploma May 12, celebrators included a group of more than 60 women who have supported her financially and in other ways through her academic career.

That group of Wood River residents, inspired by their affection for Mitcham and the tangible evidence of what can happen when people pool their resources, recently registered as a nonprofit organization.

Mitcham hasn’t always had an easy road, despite her academic gifts. Her parents divorced when she was a baby. Her mom died in a car accident and was buried on Mitcham’s second birthday.

“My dad wasn’t quite ready to be a single parent,” said Mitcham.

She lived on her grandmother’s farm. When she was old enough to start school, she moved in with her aunt and uncle in Hailey.

When Mitcham was a senior at Wood River High School six years ago, she was chosen as “Paula’s Girl,” a program started by dress shop owner Paula Proctor to provide a free prom dress for a deserving girl chosen by school counselors.

Proctor has never forgotten when Mitcham, her grandmother and aunt came to choose her dress.

“Jozey tried on every dress in the shop. And they were in tears. You would have thought I was giving the kid a new car,” said Proctor.

Wood River Valley resident Carol Harlig heard about the prom project and wanted to help – but the beauty shop appointments, shoes, flowers and everything else was paid for. Harlig gave Mitcham $100 for books.

Mitcham hand-wrote 20 thank-you notes to everyone who had given her things, complete with a photo of her in her new dress.

“My aunt taught me right,” said Mitcham.

“I kept that note,” said Harlig, “because that was the beginning of the whole thing.”

Harlig was so touched by Mitcham’s gratitude that she started calling around to friends, asking them to donate.

“I thought I’d see if I could raise $1,000 for a scholarship,” Harlig said. She’d aimed too low. Within 10 days, she had raised $5,500.

Initially, Harlig planned to create a one-year scholarship for a different young woman every year. Someone suggested supporting Mitcham through her entire undergraduate career instead.

Harlig liked the idea. She committed to raising a minimum of $5,500 annually, as long as Mitcham remained a full-time student, maintained a good grade-point average and kept in touch with donors.

“She has more than upheld her end of the bargain,” said Harlig.

So have the donors. One year, the group raised $10,400 for Mitcham. Mitcham has spent six years as an undergraduate completing her two majors. The Wood River Valley group has raised $50,000 for her in that time.

Mitcham has consistently written thank-you notes to all of her donors, as well as long dispatches twice a semester that let donors live campus life vicariously. They’ve gotten to read about Mitcham’s roommates, about her marathon study groups known to spend 18 hours solving a difficult math problem. They read about the time Mitcham saw her first palm tree, and when she adopted the residents of her “Animal House” – three cats, a dog named Kyli and a slew of fish.

“The rewards back to us are more than Jozey has ever gotten,” said Harlig. “We all agree it’s the best $100 we spend every year.”

Growing up, Mitcham always assumed she’d be on her own paying for college. But with help from her “guardian angels” and other scholarships, including one from the Wood River Odd Fellows & Rebekahs, she is graduating debt-free, with money to tide her over until she finds a job.

“To think this all started from a thank-you note, and there’s this little gal, working so hard, and being a loving and wonderful person,” Harlig said.

This year, as a surprise for Harlig, her fellow donors established the Carol Harlig Guardian Angel Scholarship under the umbrella of the Blaine County Education Foundation. The public can donate to help young women pay for college.

The group has chosen as its new recipient Kaitana Martinez from Wood River High School. She’ll leave for Dartmouth in the fall. Her first-year scholarship is already at $8,500.