Aleda Jo Howard pays it forward for students
Aleda Jo Howard ’83 has a deep love for Clemson University that has only grown since her days as a student. At that time, she relied on grants, loans and scholarships to help pay for her Clemson education. After graduation and a successful career with the Lowe’s Corporation, she is now able to make that opportunity possible for other hard-working students.
Howard has established multiple endowments here at Clemson: the Aleda Jo Howard ’83 “Hear Her Roar” Endowment for Women’s Golf, the Aleda Jo Howard ’83 Scholarship Endowment, and, in honor of her late mother, the Mary Jane Harris Howard Memorial Founding Scholarship Endowment, an inaugural scholarship to support the College of Veterinary Medicine. Howard has also left a planned gift to Clemson in her will, hoping her legacy can live on to support others.
Her generosity comes from a place of gratitude and the knowledge that her Clemson education gave her the skills and experience she needed to become a success in business. As she reflects on what financial aid meant to her Clemson Experience, she says, “It was clear to me that this was the place I needed to be. Now, I just want those who can’t afford to be here to have the chance to get an education like I did.”
