Sienna Dilling
When Sienna Dilling, a strategic and corporate communication junior, decided to transfer to Chapman, she was searching for a school that fit financially as well as academically. A need-based housing grant made that decision easier. In the reflection below, she shares what that support meant during her first year and what a $2 million gift focused on housing from the First Congregational Church of Santa Ana means for students like her.
Sienna Dilling: More Than a Grant
When I decided to transfer from a public university in Spring 2025, I was looking for an adventure that wouldn’t break the bank. Upon completing the FAFSA form, Chapman offered me funding toward housing. I was ecstatic. That grant allowed me to spend my first year at Chapman Grand, where I could enjoy the full Chapman experience, including afternoons by the pool, without feeling overwhelmed about my finances.
Living in Chapman housing also allowed me to engage with my peers outside of the classroom. From forming new bonds with fellow residents in the shared common spaces to exchanging warm smiles in the halls, living here has made this place feel like home.
Housing scholarships like mine allow students to select a living space that aligns with both their financial needs and their desire for connection.
Room to Belong
A $2 million endowed gift from the First Congregational Church of Santa Ana is expanding access to on-campus housing for Chapman students. The contribution supports the university’s need-based housing scholarship fund, helping reduce the cost of living on or near campus so students can more fully engage in the Chapman community.
The gift was made possible by leaders from the church. I had the opportunity to meet them in person and thank them directly for making grants like mine possible.
Meeting them also helped me understand the long-standing relationship between the church and the Chapman community. Though rooted in different founding faith traditions, the two institutions share a commitment to service, learning, and community. That bond grew stronger each time church leaders gathered on Chapman’s campus for annual United Church of Christ meetings. Sitting with them at the luncheon, I learned that those visits left a lasting impression. The joy and enthusiasm for learning they witnessed in Chapman students reminded them of their own days as scholars.
When the First Congregational Church of Santa Ana eventually closed its doors, the church leaders directed a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the building toward this endowment. This gift reflects a desire to make higher education more accessible and a foundational belief in paying it forward.
Gifts like this help ensure more students like me can fully participate in campus life without housing costs becoming a barrier, turning Chapman into a place to call home.
