Living Her Legacy Now: The Liz Kuster Carroll Scholarship

By Liz Kuster Carroll, Delta Eta-Cal State, Sacramento

My story starts as an alumna. In 1990, I was starting a new job and life with my husband in Spokane, Washington, where I didn’t know a soul. Ahead of my arrival, I wrote to the alumnae group. Upon returning from our honeymoon, I had welcome notes in my mailbox. That is the start of my Delta Gamma story—the willingness to put myself out there.

Delta Gamma provided me an opportunity to make friends in my new hometown. At a 1994 alumnae event, I met a sister who told me her team at AT&T was hiring. I wasn’t looking for a new job, but she was very convincing, so I applied and was hired.

That one networking conversation at an alumnae event changed my life. I joined a team of six other Delta Gammas working at AT&T; our common bonds allowed us to support each other in meaningful ways. With that encouragement, I exceeded in my role, becoming a worldwide top-performer while growing our family.

Being an active alumna has provided me deep friendships, both personally and professionally. Taking the advice of a new friend to apply for a job I didn’t believe I could do changed the trajectory of my career, my life and my family’s life.

I’ve held many volunteer roles as an alumna, but more important, I’ve been on the lookout for how I can welcome and network with other Delta Gammas, supporting them in becoming the best versions of themselves.

It’s my honor to give back to the Delta Gamma Foundation in the form of a merit-based undergraduate scholarship. I think of The Liz Kuster Carroll Scholarship as a tip for a fabulous career, or a token of my appreciation for the ability to network with so many supportive women. I love knowing my journey will light the path for young women behind me.

Not many women start scholarships while they are living. Usually, they leave instructions for others to do it when they pass. I was following that line of thinking for two decades. Instructions for my scholarship were in my estate plan. My husband and children knew my wishes.

But when I won a Cable Award it dawned on me: Why am I waiting? I wanted to be an example of what is possible. I wanted to “live my legacy” today as a healthy 54-year-old!

How amazing will it be for me to meet the recipients of this scholarship? When I was in college, I benefited from awards from other women’s legacies, but I never had the chance to meet them. I didn’t know their stories. I sometimes wonder how much I could have learned from them.

Thanks to Delta Gamma, I made friendships that encouraged me to take bigger roles than I thought were possible. I hope my story inspires others to create a larger Delta Gamma network and to “live your legacy” now. You never know whose path you might light!

Contact plannedgiving@deltagamma.org for more information about how an endowed fund gift can impact the lives of our members for generations to come and create your living legacy!