Your Impact
Gifts made to the David and Washington McDonogh Endowed Scholarship Fund will provide critical resources to support students, programs, faculty, staff, and unforeseen challenges.
David and Washington McDonogh Endowed Scholarship Fund
Make your gift today to support the David and Washington McDonogh Endowed Scholarship Fund. Your support towards the scholarship can become even more effective by renewing, beginning or increasing your commitment. Every donor—of any amount—has an important impact! David and Washington McDonogh were born into slavery on the Louisiana plantation of John McDonogh. A proponent of colonization, John intended to gradually emancipate his slaves and send them to Liberia. Through colleagues, McDonogh contracted to send David and Washington to Lafayette in fall 1838. David studied Latin, Greek, calculus, chemistry, theology, anatomy, and surgery. In 1842, David refused to leave for Liberia without his degree, and graduated from Lafayette in 1844—the first black graduate. In his last will and testament, David listed Lafayette College as a beneficiary, a final gesture of thanks to an institution where he had been emancipated in both body and mind.
Bring the Roar
Bring the Roar brings the Lafayette community together. This is our opportunity to show why we are proud to be a Pard. Whether it’s the Lafayette College Fund, financial aid, stellar programs, or game-changing athletics, we show our pride by supporting what makes us Roar! #BringTheRoar