‘An Easy Decision’

Darrell Pacheco ’12 Supports Inclusivity and Future Leaders Through Dickinson

For Darrell Pacheco ’12, Dickinson was nothing short of lifechanging. Transferring to the college from Northampton Community College through Dickinson’s community college transfer program in 2010, Pacheco was the first in his family to attend college, and he found everything he was looking for in Dickinson’s small classes, supportive learning environment and deeply engaged faculty.

“Dickinson allowed me to explore and dream big about what was possible with my life,” says the former political science major, who launched a career in finance at Vanguard after graduation. “The faculty at Dickinson made my experience top notch. I befriended many members of the political science faculty, and they were generous with all sorts of advice. I completed my senior seminar in my junior year and successfully wrote and defended a senior honors thesis. I graduated with honors in the political science department. None of that would have been possible without the support of the faculty at Dickinson.”

That positive experience made the decision to support Dickinson a no-brainer. “Dickinson has given me a world-class education, an amazing network and a sense of confidence,” says Pacheco, who also serves on the college’s Board of Trustees. “Paying that forward is an easy decision.”

Pacheco also likes that he’s able to direct his gift to an area of the college that has personal meaning for him. A longtime Dickinson Fund donor and loyal member of the Mermaid Society, he has directed his gift toward Dickinson’s Popel Shaw Center for Race & Ethnicity over the last several years.

“Esther Popel Shaw was the first African American woman to graduate from Dickinson College,” he explains. “Professionally, she was a published poet of the Harlem Renaissance era and an antiracist and feminist activist. Named in her honor, the Popel Shaw Center is a campus resource for students, faculty and staff dedicated to transforming Dickinson into an inclusive, antiracist learning environment. My hope is that supporting the Popel Shaw Center and its programming and scholarship benefits the entire Dickinson community.”

Now pursuing an MBA at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, Pacheco understands well the value of investment. And, for that reason, his giving to Dickinson may be rooted in the past, but it’s focused on the future. As he puts it, “The college needs our support, and future generations need our support, just as past generations have supported us.”