Naté Dearden
In Memory of Naté Dearden
Naté Dearden was a Utah State University (USU) alumnus and a strong advocate for students with disabilities, particularly regarding transition from high school to post high school programs. In honor of her memory, Naté’s family and friends seek to support students who need a helping hand to change the course of their lives.
On September 9th, 2021, Naté passed away after a brief battle with cancer. She was educated in Ogden City Public Schools and was a proud graduate of Ben Lomond High School where she excelled academically. Following her graduation, she enrolled at USU where she was a member of the President's Leadership Council. After completing her mission service, she returned to USU, where she greatly enjoyed being an Aggie, and graduated in 2006.
She began her working career in Salt Lake City, Utah, at Utah Youth Village as a family advocate. This experience along with encouragement from her mother and other friends steered her towards applying to law schools. She entered Brigham Young University Law School in 2009 and graduated in 2011. Her career then took her to Arlington, Virginia, where she obtained a post-secondary transition position in the District of Columbia Office of Education. In 2015, she moved to Utah and began working for the Utah State Board of Education in various capacities, including the Student and Family Rights Coordinator.
Naté also, from a young age, showed a great concern for those who were underserved and in need and actively sought to serve those around her in many ways. This scholarship is a way to continue to honor that legacy and her fierce advocacy and passion for students with disabilities as they transition into adult life.
In honor of Naté, family and friends are establishing the Naté Dearden Memorial Scholarship in the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education & Human Services. The scholarship will provide students with greater access and help remove financial barriers that prevent them from reaching their full potential.
How to Give
Naté Dearden Memorial Scholarship
Online:
Credit, Debit, PayPal, Venmo or Bank Transfer
Mail:
Utah State University
Naté Dearden Memorial Scholarship
1590 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-1590
Make checks payable to "Utah State University."
Phone:
1-888-653-6246
Stock or Wire Transfer:
Contact Lance Beckert at 435-797-1611 or lance.beckert@usu.edu for instructions.
The income of the endowment will be used to support yearly scholarships for students with disabilities in higher education who have a financial need. Your gift will be used only for the stated purpose if the required minimum for an endowment is met by June 30, 2027. If not met, the gift will be considered expendable towards the stated purpose. By donating, you recognize that future unforeseen circumstances may alter or remove the purpose for which the endowment was established. In such an event, the Unit Administrator, in consultation with USU’s President, shall direct that the principal and income of the endowment be devoted to purposes that they deem will be most consistent with the original purpose of the endowment.
The Endowment will exist in perpetuity. If circumstances arise that render the stated purpose of the Endowment (as set forth herein) illegal, impractical, impossible, or wasteful (e.g., a change in law, the elimination of a USU program, position, or course of study, the persistent unavailability of scholarship recipients that meet the criteria, etc.); then, as set forth in this Solicitation, under such circumstances and in keeping with Utah Code 51-8-501(1), USU may designate a new purpose and/or scholarship selection criteria for the Endowment. Any such new purpose shall be defined by USU’s President and Dean of the College.
The Endowment shall be deposited and invested by the Board of Trustees of USU, through the USU Investment Advisory Committee in accordance with USU’s investment policy. The USU Foundation is the legal entity designated by USU to receive charitable gifts in support of its academic mission.
Distributions from the Endowment shall be governed by USU’s Endowment Spending Policy. The spending policy calls for an annual distribution up to 5% (currently set at 4%) of the value of the endowment account to be expended per the gift agreement. An additional 1.5% of the endowment value shall be used to fund the administration of the endowment and USU advancement efforts. All additional gains shall be retained as appreciation and invested along with the corpus to grow the value of the Endowment over time.
By letter dated May 21, 2008, the Internal Revenue Service has declared the USU Foundation (federal tax identification number 87-0627128), to be a duly qualified charitable organization under section 501(c)(3) and also an organization described in sections 509(a)(1) and 170(b)(1)(A)(iv) of the Internal Revenue Code. The Foundation is a duly chartered active Utah nonprofit corporation, under the provision of Utah Code, Title 16, Chapter 6a.