Cynthia Pizzini found the support she needed as an adult learner at Wichita State University. Scholarships and applied learning opportunities helped her complete her studies and continue her career path in community development. 

Cynthia is one of more than 2,400 students eligible for spring 2026 graduation. Learn more about her time at Wichita State and what's next for the grad. 

Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing - real estate with a minor in sport management with honors in leadership 

Bronx, New York 

New York’s Park West High School

I always dreamed of going back to school and completing my degree. Life and raising a family got in the way. After moving to Wichita after the pandemic, Wichita State was less than a mile from my house and I decided that now was the time.  

Best decision I ever made! The support I received on campus as a returning adult learner was amazing.  

I received the Osher Reentry Scholarship for adult learners, Cohen Honors College Oakes Family Scholarship (for returning students) and the H. Dene Heskett Endowed Scholarship.

These scholarships allowed me to attend school without the financial pressure of having to obtain a full-time job. I was able to focus on my schoolwork and participate in campus initiatives like representing adult learners in the Student Government Association. 

The most memorable was being able to attend a Harvard University Affordable Housing Workshop with the help of the Cohen Enhancement Scholarship. It was an experience I will always remember.  

Even when it feels like you can’t do it, don’t give up. Just think of it as eight weeks at a time! You will be walking across that stage before you know it.  

I will attend the School of Public Affairs at American University in Washington, DC. I will be pursuing a master’s in public administration and hope to work in urban and community development. I will also be working on the affordable housing nonprofit I founded in 2024, MICASAH Community Development Corporation.  

Running man, of course. 

Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 25,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry- and defense-funded engineering R&D and No. 9 overall for engineering R&D.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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