Chemistry scholarship proves to be a defining element in UMW senior’s college career
Alex Bindon ’25 felt a rush when he received his Experimental Methods exam. His task? Identify a chemical compound by comparing charts, graphs, and spectra from lab instruments.
“It turned out to be glucose,” said Alex, who discovered a passion for analytical chemistry at the University of Mary Washington. “It feels like I’m a detective in an investigation.”
Alex found a fitting formula at UMW, where he earned the Jacqueline C. Kane Scholarship in Chemistry. It was an honor, he said, to receive the award established by the late Irene Piscopo Rodgers ’59 in memory of a chemist friend who passed away in 2014.
“It was tremendously helpful,” said Alex, who has worked hard at Mary Washington but has always appreciated guidance from faculty members. When he struggled with organic chemistry his first semester, he reached out to Professor Janet Asper.
“She said that when fighter pilots take off from aircraft carriers, they drop down before they fly up,” he said. “Then she encouraged me to read the textbook and apply myself so I can take off without flying into the ocean.”
The analogy resonated with Alex, who grew up near the world’s largest naval base in Norfolk, Virginia, and catapulted him to success in college.
His perseverance also helped him land an internship last summer with the Hampton Roads Sanitation District, where he contributed to the purification and treatment of wastewater to keep the bay clean and prevented sewage from entering harbors. He hopes to find a job there after graduation or at a chemical plant in Richmond, Baltimore, or Pittsburgh.
Alex recently connected with Christy Copper ’91, a professor at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, who teaches analytical chemistry. He sought her advice after attending her talk to UMW chemistry majors last fall.
“It’s important to show alumni your true, hard-working self,” he said of Christy and Irene, who established the scholarship that was a catalyst in his college career. “I’m so grateful to those who have supported me so I can take off.”
For more information about estate planning, visit https://umw.giftlegacy.com/ or contact Executive Director of Gift Planning and Major Gifts Jeremy Vaughn ’08 at jvaughn@umw.edu or 540-654-2063.
– Article written by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04 for the Gift Planning Connections newsletter, Spring 2025
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