Supported by generous donor-funded scholarships, nontraditional students can forge their own paths to a degree through UMass Amherst University Without Walls.

Obtaining a college degree can be daunting for nontraditional students, many of whom are balancing their studies with work, caregiving, and other obligations. UMass Amherst University Without Walls (UWW) Department of Interdisciplinary Studies helps make a college degree more attainable.

UWW Interdisciplinary Studies provides a world-class UMass education online that meets the unique needs of nontraditional students. A hallmark of the UWW experience is its flexibility, which allows students to earn their undergraduate degrees on their terms.  

Scholarships help make a UWW education even more accessible by breaking down financial barriers. Here are a few of the many UWW students who benefitted from donor-funded scholarships.

Paris Brantley

Paris Brantley is a teacher and mother of four from Springfield, Massachusetts who is currently completing a bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary studies and designing her own area of concentration in social justice, advocacy, and education through filmmaking. She is working towards her goal of opening a school in honor of her grandmother, who passed away a year ago after a battle with early onset dementia.

Brantley says that strong organizational skills and compartmentalizing her roles and responsibilities help her maintain balance in her life, and notes that the flexibility and compassion of the UWW program and its faculty are among the best parts of the experience.

Receiving the Ruth B. Loving Scholarship in her first semester was especially meaningful for Brantley.

“Winning the scholarship makes me feel worthy, something I have not felt in a long time due to repetitive rejection from life,” she says. “It also makes me feel seen and motivates me to exceed beyond my best, now that I have confirmation that people are watching, listening, hearing, and valuing who I am.”

Lauren Leonardis

Originally from Boston, Lauren Leonardis is a homelessness policy advocate, mother of two, and first-generation college student who brings her life experiences—which include youth homelessness—to her UWW education and her work.

Leonardis works to end youth homelessness through her company, Mother and Changemaker Consulting LLC. As a consultant, she can make her own work hours, which, combined with the flexibility offered by UWW, allows her to carve out the time she needs for school.

Leonardis, who has earned UWW scholarships in five semesters, appreciates the ways in which education will help advance her work and plans to attend graduate school after she completes her UWW degree.

“I ultimately want to get a master's degree in public policy,” she says. “I recognize that to make changes, you need power. And to access power, you need experiences and a degree.”

Damion Middleton

Damion Middleton says his story is one of redemption. Formerly incarcerated, the father and first-generation college student from Western Massachusetts is building a new life—and UWW is helping him to do that.

Middleton is working towards his bachelor’s degree with a concentration in film studies and plans to become a film producer and screenwriter. His ultimate goal is to own his own production company, where he plans to offer internships and scholarships to those affected by the criminal justice system.

Middleton, who has earned UWW scholarships in four semesters, says that the community is the best part of UWW, and that receiving a UWW Faculty Student scholarship was “a blessing.”

“It is a sign that I am on the right path. It is motivation. I really needed it,” he says. “I am so proud to represent this university. I can’t put into words how grateful I am; but I can express it by being the best student I can be to honor this university’s commitment to its students.” 

Help UWW students succeed. Your gift empowers nontraditional students like Paris, Lauren, and Damion to earn their degrees and transform their futures. Scholarships make education more accessible—give today to support their success.