Two successful Ben Davis graduates want to provide opportunities for their younger peers to find success as well. 

Marcy and Gigi Cabello (BD ‘09 and ‘12, respectively) are sisters who grew up in Wayne Township. Strong grades, deep involvement in extracurricular activities, and support from their parents and the school system enabled them to attend excellent colleges and embark upon meaningful careers. 

They’re grateful for the support they’ve received, and they’re now expressing that gratitude with a $10,000 gift to endow a new scholarship that will be facilitated by the Wayne Township Education Foundation. 

The newly established Cabello Family “Somos Wayne” (We Are Wayne) Endowed Scholarship awards $500+ annually to support Hispanic/Latino Ben Davis High School seniors who are pursuing post-secondary education.

“This is something that we’ve been wanting to do for quite a while,” Gigi said. “Actually, Marcy first came up with the idea. Our parents always encouraged us to actively get involved by doing, and to also have in the back of our minds how we can give back financially if we were able.”

Marcy said she and Gigi continued to think about how to give back to Wayne Township even when they were attending college and beginning their careers out of state. Marcy attended Cornell University and Syracuse University, both in New York; she worked in the field of health economics in Boston and Washington, D.C. before moving back to Indiana during the Coronavirus pandemic. Gigi studied at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland and came home to pursue her master’s degree at the Indiana University School of Medicine. 

Gigi is now working as a healthcare consultant for Milliman, and Marcy is the Director of Research & Policy at Cabello Associates, the family’s consulting firm. Back home in Indiana, they came to the Wayne Township Education Foundation with the idea of starting a scholarship fund for BD seniors.

“We’ve seen how much Wayne Township has changed since I graduated in 2009,” Marcy said.

Hispanic students now make up nearly one-third of the entire student population. That percentage was substantially smaller when Marcy and Gigi were MSD Wayne students. The sisters are glad to see the growth and excited to see that other students from Hispanic/Latino backgrounds are attending top colleges and universities.

“Our scholarship is very small in the grand scheme of things,” Marcy said. “It is not going to cover $50,000 tuition. But we know from our involvement with Latino high school students that they are top-achieving and getting into these really elite universities, whether in Indiana or nationwide. We want to help make sure that finances aren’t the limiting factor when they actually enroll.” 

The Cabello sisters have been involved with Project Stepping Stone, a program that helps Indiana’s Hispanic and Latino students prepare for college and career success. “It was an integral program for both of us as we were navigating the college application process,” Gigi said. Now, Marcy is on the organization’s board.

The Cabello Family “Somos Wayne” Endowed Scholarship is open to Hispanic and Latino students, regardless of their documentation status. The application deadline is March 10, 2023. Other application details can be found on the “Scholarship Information” page of the Wayne Township Education Foundation website.

Marcy and Gigi hope the scholarship fund they have established may inspire other alumni to give back to Wayne Township. And they are grateful they can help provide opportunities for future college students. In Gigi’s words: “This is very meaningful for us.”

ABOUT THE WAYNE TOWNSHIP EDUCATION FOUNDATION

The Wayne Township Education Foundation (WTEF) provides community leadership to enrich, engage, and stimulate teaching and learning in the Metropolitan School District of Wayne Township. WTEF accomplishes this by supporting school programs and resources while recognizing excellence among students and staff. To learn more about WTEF, call 317-988-7966, visit wtef.wayne.k12.in.us, or follow us on Facebook or Twitter @WayneTwpEdFound.