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Philanthropy is a way of life

Moriah Billups with President Mary-Beth Cooper at the Graduation 2015 Trustee breakfast

Moriah Billups with President Mary-Beth Cooper at the Graduation 2015 Trustee breakfast

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By Janice Beetle | Winter/Spring 2022

Moriah Billups ’15 keeps in close touch with Springfield College. The relationships she made here are meaningful to her, and she wants to nurture them. She reaches out on occasion to Director of Alumni Relations Tamie Kidess Lucey ’81, G’82, and members of the alumni office team to say hi or thank them for all they do. As a younger donor, Billups is also well connected to Kylie Martin Laurenitis ’13, G’16, director of Annual Giving for Leadership Gifts and Athletics.

“I’m passing the torch, lending a hand to the next generation. College is not just about academics, but the whole experience. I wouldn’t be who I am without the foundation that Springfield laid.”

Moriah Billups

Martin gave Billups a tour of the Harold C. Smith Learning Commons this summer. When the two have that kind of time together, they tend to chat about how to inspire more recent alumni to give. “We brainstorm,” says Billups, who will turn 29 this spring.

Billups gives to Springfield College because it supported her independence and helped her create and follow her own path—right into her current job as philanthropy officer at Concord (N.H.) Hospital. “I’m passing the torch, lending a hand to the next generation,” she says. “College is not just about academics, but the whole experience. I wouldn’t be who I am without the foundation that Springfield laid.”

  • Moriah Billups with other health science students during a trip to New York for a conference
    Moriah Billups with other health science students during a trip to New York for a conference
  • Moriah Billups with Jen Thompson, 2013-2014 NSO co-leader
    Moriah Billups with Jen Thompson, 2013-2014 NSO co-leader
  • Moriah Billups with her roommate Courtney Trevena ‘15
    Moriah Billups with her roommate Courtney Trevena ’15
  • Moriah Billups, then-Student Trustee-elect, President Emeritus Richard B. Flynn, and Student Trustee Ariel Zaleski Broton ’16 at President Mary-Beth Cooper’s inauguration
    Moriah Billups, then-Student Trustee-elect, President Emeritus Richard B. Flynn, and Student Trustee Ariel Zaleski Broton ’16 at President Mary-Beth Cooper’s inauguration
  • Moriah Billups and Ian Wyman ’16 at Billups’ last regional dance competition with the Pride Dance Team
    Moriah Billups and Ian Wyman ’16 at Billups’ last regional dance competition with the Pride Dance Team
  • Moriah Billups being sworn in as Student Trustee during Stepping Up Day 2014
    Moriah Billups being sworn in as Student Trustee during Stepping Up Day 2014
  • Stepping up day 2014 with the Student Ambassador program
    Stepping up day 2014 with the Student Ambassador program

Originally, Springfield College was not among the schools Billups wanted to visit, but her mom persuaded her to take a look. The tour guide was a dancer, like Billups, and that relationship became the first key one of her college experiences. Another important bond was with Ian Wyman ’16, whom Billups later married.

Billups, who served as the Student Trustee on the Board of Trustees, also danced on the Pride Dance Team and felt honored to give tours as a student ambassador. “I loved talking to students, and I put my heart and soul into it,” she says.

Before deciding on rehabilitation and disabilities studies, Billups changed her major three times, always with guidance and support from College faculty and staff. “Springfield teaches you how to be a full person,” the magna cum laude graduate says. “The skills I learned at Springfield identified what brought me joy, what I wanted to do with my life. I was empowered the minute I stepped on campus.”

“The skills I learned at Springfield identified what brought me joy, what I wanted to do with my life. I was empowered the minute I stepped on campus.”

Moriah Billups

Billups became part of the David Allen Reed Society through its First Decade Circle, which scales giving up from $100 in the first year after graduation to $1,000 10 years later.

She hopes others who enjoyed their time at Springfield College will consider giving back. “Philanthropy is a way of life. It’s an opportunity to make an impact in the world,” she says, adding that all donors should stay engaged and ask questions about where they can contribute to the College. “Philanthropy should be an active choice, not a passive one. Educate yourself. The more you know, the more you empower yourself to understand and the more meaningful your gift is.” End of article