Ten years ago, my wife and I sent our only son off to the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics for what would turn out to be two of the most valuable years of his life. NCSSM utterly transformed my son, of the class of 2003, for which I as a parent am forever grateful. Accepting the greater challenge, he discovered he had to work harder but could achieve more than he ever imagined, and this discovery has guided him ever since. Just as importantly, he found friends and values that he has never lost; and classmates who like him were eager to learn, to share, and to be with one another, classmates who remain his closest friends. Other parents and alumni tell me similar stories of personal discovery, opportunity, growth, and transformation. If your story is like my son’s and you are a better person, a harder worker, a bigger dreamer, a more empathetic friend, a more dedicated member of your community because of NCSSM, I urge you to think of how the school needs you just as you needed it all those years ago.

Every year, approximately 5 percent of alumni support the NCSSM Annual Fund, which funds extracurricular activities, intramural sports, food for club meetings and hall parties, loops, mentorship, academic competitions, and other things vitally important to life outside the classroom. But with the recession hitting state budgets hard, and forecasted budget cuts translating to losses of faculty and staff, courses and research programs at NCSSM, alumni giving now has the potential to fulfill a critical need at the core of the school’s educational mission. To achieve this, however, NCSSM needs many more alumni givers.

Through the Million Dollar Match, an anonymous alumnus has put a million dollars on the table if his fellow alumni step up and support the school through a donation to the Annual Fund. Only one out of three alumni needs to give to make this possible. I hope you will join this generous donor in recognizing how invaluable your education was at NCSSM. The kind of education you, my son, and thousands of others received at NCSSM was a gift and it now rests on your shoulders to ensure that thousands more of North Carolina’s students receive the same opportunities and experiences. There are a million reasons to support this great school—the best school in the nation, in my opinion—and the Million Dollar Match is only one of them. Take a moment. Reflect on your time at NCSSM and what it has made you today. I’m sure you can come up with your own reasons. I have mine and so does my son. What are yours?