Alumni Starts Scholarship for Students on the Spectrum

When Caroline and Eric Ethington’s younger son, Jacob, was diagnosed with autism nearly 24 years ago, they discovered a lack of resources available to them.

“At the time of the diagnosis, they gave us a little fact sheet, and it was pretty dire,” said Eric Ethington (’87, IE).

Services and resources for students in kindergarten through 12th grade have improved over the years, but not as much at the college level. Also, the transition to college and independence can be challenging for any student, never mind students whose K-12 success was a result of additional parental and classroom support. Those reasons inspired the Ethingtons to start the Students on the Spectrum Scholarship.

Scholarship recipients receive support from the Academic Success Center and Wellness Center in the form of regular check-ins to address the student’s health, academic progress and industry experience. To be eligible for the scholarship, students should be entering their second, third, fourth or fifth year at Kettering, and self-identify as being on the spectrum, and face academic, social and/or industry placement challenges. Awards are non-renewable.

Since their son’s diagnosis, the Ethingtons have always wanted to do something to help students on the spectrum — and now was the perfect time. In addition, having worked in various positions at the University, Caroline Ethington (’89, Industrial Administration) said she saw the need for this type of scholarship.

“I could see there were students on the spectrum who were struggling. We saw this as an opportunity to finally fulfill our dream and work with Kettering University,” she said.

Eric Ethington agreed.

“We saw this as an opportunity to help encourage students to seek out help that the University has available and also give them a bit of a buffer, one little less thing to worry about,” he said.

As more and more celebrities such as U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and championship tennis player Naomi Osaka highlight conversations regarding mental health, the Ethingtons said they hope their scholarship also moves the conversation forward.

“We’re hoping this scholarship will help promote the conversation,” Caroline Ethington said, “and destigmatize the diagnosis for students so they feel comfortable coming forward and saying, ‘Yeah, I’m on the spectrum, and I could use some help. It’s OK.’”