No Gift is Too Small: Briana Bateman ’14 Invests in Her Fellow Sisters
Briana Bateman was a Converse junior when her father became ill. Her parents had to move to Charleston for his medical treatment, so Briana stayed in Landrum to care for her two younger brothers, while also working two jobs, playing Valkyries’ volleyball, and becoming Student Government Association president. In 2014, she earned her bachelor’s in Art therapy and Psychology. Now 25 and constituent-services representative for U.S. Congressman Tim Scott in Columbia, she puts aside $25 every month for her alma mater. “I believe that your degree is only as strong as your institution,” she says, adding she wishes she could give more.
On a scale of what a lot of bigger donors give, it may be a small amount, but to me, it’s investing in not just my future and what my degree means, but also for others––my Converse little sisters and my grand-littles.
“Converse is a family. It’s not like a family, it is a family. I just feel that I have to give back for everything Converse did for me,” Briana said. She lost her dad in December 2015. Now, she and her mom are discussing adding Converse to Briana’s will. “On a scale of what a lot of bigger donors give, it may be a small amount, but to me, it’s investing in not just my future and what my degree means, but also for others––my Converse little sisters and my grand-littles. It’s the power of investment that will keep going.”
