Graduates Supporting Graduates, Maryvale to ASU
Historians tell us that the word “alumnus” goes back to the Latin verb “alere,” which means “bring up” or “nourish.”
As I’ve mentioned on this blog previously, I am an alumnus of Arizona State University (ASU), and so is my wife Judy. Our story, though, begins at the school that prepared us for ASU. We met at Maryvale High School, just 20 miles from the central ASU campus in Tempe, Arizona.
As graduates of Maryvale and ASU, Judy and I are grateful for the strong start we received at both schools. Today, reflecting back and looking ahead, we see an opportunity to lend a hand helping bring up and nourish students of current and future generations.
The need is clear for many of today’s students at Maryvale High School. According to findings from the National Center for Education Statistics, nationally more than 40% of high school graduates immediately enroll in four-year university programs. Right now at Maryvale, fewer than 10% go to college.
The community of Maryvale is quite different today than when Judy and I lived there. When we were teens, it was a fast-growing boom town when Phoenix itself was one of the most rapidly expanding metro areas in the U.S. At its peak, Maryvale added as many as 20 new homes every 24 hours. Most were small and affordable. Yes, they went up fast and stuck close to a handful of preset designs. But for $7,600 (about $100,000 in today’s dollars), a new house in the early days of Maryvale gave young families a lot to like. Most included a decent sized yard and a garage.
In the early days, newcomers to Maryvale arrived rapidly and in large numbers, and to accommodate the growth, a new high school opened in 1963, which is where we graduated from in the 1970s. As the son of first-generation immigrants to the United States, I remember Maryvale as egalitarian and energetic. I’m thankful I grew up there
But as with many boomtowns, Maryvale’s early success faded in time. Social, economic and environmental realities worked against the community. Large sections of the town fell into disrepair, and Maryvale gained a reputation as one of the highest crime neighborhoods in the Phoenix area. In 1987, an area in Maryvale was designated as a Superfund due to toxic contaminated groundwater.
As Judy explains in a video that tells our ASU story, one of our family values is rooted in the Biblical teaching that “to whom much is given, much is expected.” Maryvale High School and Arizona State gave us a lot. What could we give back?
In 2022, we launched the Sarsam Family Maryvale High School Scholarship. It supports graduates of Maryvale High School on their journeys to attend and succeed at ASU.
Last month, we awarded three new recipients. It was great being back at Maryvale High School and spending time with students and staff. Two 2022 recipients were also there to see their classmates receive their scholarships. Judy and I were honored to join these future and current ASU Sun Devils and celebrate their journeys. You can see all seven of us in the photo above.
Maryvale is where we’re from. Judy and I share this place as a point of origin across the generations with students today. And in fact, many people in the Maryvale community now are first-generation Americans just like I was.
Judy and I continue to be inspired from the wisdom that “to whom much is given, much is expected.” Sometimes the phrase is translated into English as “much will be required,” and it’s not a stretch for us to also use the word “obligated.” There’s a need to lend a hand in Maryvale, and we feel obligated to help. As alumni, we include in our good fortune the opportunity to nurture and bring up today’s newest alumni of Maryvale High School and ASU – and we are honored to be able to do so.