Coming Full Circle: Scholarship America's Meghan Hussey Lim on Paying Scholarships Forward

Scholarships don’t just help students afford higher education. They also empower them to chase their dreams, build meaningful careers and give back—sometimes literally.

Meghan Hussey Lim is Scholarship America’s Associate Vice President of Institutional Partnerships, and she’s also a recipient of several scholarships from Windsor Locks Dollars for Scholars, her hometown chapter of Scholarship America’s grassroots, community-driven scholarship network.

“It’s especially gratifying to welcome a former Dollars for Scholars scholarship recipient to the Scholarship America team and see Dr. Fradkin’s vision come full circle,” said Nicole Alexander, Scholarship America’s Director of Student Success Programs. “Meghan received her scholarships from Windsor Locks Dollars for Scholars, which is proudly celebrating 25 years of supporting local students this year. In 2026 alone, the chapter awarded more than $108,000 in scholarships to 54 students pursuing their educational aspirations — students who, like Meghan, are poised to make a lasting impact on the world.”

Recently, we spoke to Meghan about her Dollars for Scholars experience, and about coming full circle to work at Scholarship America.

Here she is, in her own words:

I’m from Windsor Locks, Connecticut. We’re a small town that has a very active Dollars for Scholars chapter; their big fundraiser is that they do a mum sale every September, which is great.

When I was going off to college, I was accepted to a selective school that had a good financial aid package. But there was still a gap—our expected family contribution was definitely going to require some sacrifice and investment.

So I started applying for different scholarships and opportunities, [including] Dollars for Scholars. When I graduated, I got three scholarships from the chapter; one in particular was definitely the most meaningful for me. My sister is autistic, and my mom runs our local Special Olympics chapter. I’ve been involved in that since I was seven, volunteering and being a part of their inclusive sports program.

My first unified partner, which is the term for the “buddy” you participate with, was named Emily. She was my age, and had Down syndrome, and she passed away when we were 13. Her parents started a memorial scholarship for her, through Dollars for Scholars, for students who had volunteered a lot with the disability community or were going into a related field.

Getting that scholarship was so meaningful; I knew I was always going to continue volunteering with that community, and I did in college while I was studying international relations. But then my career kind of pivoted, and because of the way things twisted and turned I ended up working in international disability work for a lot of the early part of my career. And I’ve joked with Emily’s mom that, through that scholarship, Emily knew it was kind of meant to be.

I still think back on having that support from my community. The whole town is really sending students off to go fulfill their dreams, wherever that’s going to take them. And it feels very full circle to now be here, and to be looking for different ways that we can increase our support of Dollars for Scholars, make our national opportunities more available and really grow that grassroots support for students.