USU College of Science alum Bradley Hintze ’09, left, with son Alden, wife Anne Cherry and son Otto. Photo courtesy of Jared Lazarus
From the Spring 2021 Edition of Discovery
Holiday Present Secures Alum Bradley Hintze’s Aggie Legacy
Anne Cherry made a call to USU’s College of Science last fall with an unconventional proposal: She aimed to create a fully endowed scholarship in her husband’s name as a surprise Christmas gift.
Anne’s husband, Dr. Bradley Hintze, who graduated from USU with a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry in 2009, is a proud Utah State alumnus, who shows his Aggie pride every chance he gets.
“Bradley talks about Utah State all the time,” Anne says. “He reads Discovery, the College of Science alumni magazine cover to cover, and is always telling me about the stories and what’s happening in the college.”
Knowing how much Bradley not only values his time at Utah State, but higher education access in general, Anne was happy to establish a gift that reflected this passion.
Bradley discovered his wife’s thoughtful gift under the Christmas tree at the end of a trying 2020. The North Carolina residents both work in healthcare —Anne as an anesthesiologist, and Bradley in data science at the Duke Institute for Health Innovation. After months of working during the unpredictable COVID-19 pandemic in different capacities, the surprise scholarship was a welcome sight on Christmas morning —even though Bradley didn’t see it right away.
“I went through this box and saw all this Utah State stuff and didn’t realize what was in the bottom,” Bradley says. “After going through most of it, I thanked Anne, and she looked at me and said, ‘Bradley, open the folder.’”
“I opened it, and was overwhelmed,” he says. “I was telling everyone that she got me an endowed scholarship, and all I got her was a new cookie sheet.”
“Which is what I wanted!” Anne adds.
After graduating from Utah’s Alta High School in 2001, and being surrounded by peers who did something other than college, Bradley was unsure if he even had the brains for college. He also has a disability that makes fine motor coordination activities, like writing or using a pipette, virtually impossible.
His largest perceived barrier to college, however, was the cost. Thanks in large part to generous financial aid, Bradley earned a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Utah State in 2009, followed by a doctorate in biochemistry from Duke University in 2015.
“Giving a scholarship really means a lot to me, because I received scholarships myself —and it was the only way I could see myself going to college,” he says. “Scholarships were really the only path I had to a college degree, and I was fortunate enough to get them. So, being able to provide that to futurestudents is really exciting tome.”
Anne and Bradley ensured the Dr. Bradley J. Hintze Endowed Scholarship would be awarded annually to a student in the College of Science. Their gift is specifically designed to help those facing the added difficulty of being a first-generation college student and avoid the burden of student loan debt that can plague a college graduate.
More broadly, they hope this will add to the college’s financial offering helping to attract low-income students who would otherwise be deterred by the overall cost of college.
“I’m a first-generation college student,” Bradley says. “To me, first-generation students are impacted the most by college, and I think they have the biggest barriers to obtaining degrees, so it was important to me that we give the help where it is needed.”
Already a distinguished Utah State alumnus, Bradley’s efforts to eliminate barriers for future students and provide them freedom to pursue education and enriching careers through the College of Science is truly a gift that keeps on giving.
“To look back at Utah State every year and see a student succeed with our help, while remembering my time there, I look forward to seeing that,” Bradley says. “And, I can’t wait to follow these students and see where they go and what they do next!”
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