The Power of Support: Megan Rogers’ Story of Resilience

A fourth-generation San Franciscan, Megan’s path to SF State was anything but straightforward. Accepted into a University of California school at 18, she soon found herself unprepared for the challenges of higher education. “I always enjoyed school. I loved learning, but I wasn’t fully ready to be present for my studies,” she recalls. After withdrawing from college at 19, Megan spent years in a cycle of returning to school, taking breaks, and navigating struggles like addiction, homelessness, and self-doubt.

Finally, in her late thirties, Megan re-enrolled at SF State with a renewed purpose. “I really just wanted to complete school for myself — not just to get the degree or accolades, but to finish something,” she says. “The learning arena filled my soul.”

Returning to college, Megan discovered a vibrant and supportive community at SF State — a “sanctuary,” she recalls. It was the kind of university experience she “had always yearned to be a part of” and where she felt she really mattered and made a difference. Initially, she focused on earning a degree in Public Health, drawn to the field by her passion for accessible and affordable healthcare. Her public health internship at Thurgood Marshall Academic High School in San Francisco reaffirmed her commitment to community health.

“The learning arena filled my soul.” 
—Megan Rogers (B.S., Public Health, ’24)

However, it was a ceramics class that truly transformed her journey. “I just fell in love with ceramics,” Megan explains. “And I thought, ‘Oh, I could add this as a minor.” The creative environment of School of Art became a cornerstone of her University experience as she added double minors in Studio Art and Holistic Health. Through SF State’s pilot Art Handling program, Megan gained practical skills and found a cohort of “quirky and supportive” peers who shared her enthusiasm and amongst whom she could be herself. Megan reminisces, “It was one of the few programs with mandatory field trips to SFMOMA and the de Young. And, oh, my goodness, I just felt my spirit come alive!”

Scholarships played a pivotal role in Megan’s ability to thrive at SF State. As the recipient of multiple donor-funded scholarships and awards — including the Willie L. Brown, Jr. Fellowship, Vincent Costantino Endowed Scholarship, John Irwin Memorial Scholarship, Dr. Leslie and Phyllis Wong Endowed Scholarship, and the Donalida Merrilat Endowed Scholarship, among others — Megan was able to focus fully on her education. While she initially balanced two part-time jobs that totaled 40 hours/week and multiple side gigs, scholarships eventually allowed Megan to reduce her workload and concentrate on academics.

“At one point, scholarships meant the difference between working 40 hours a week or 10 hours on-call,” Megan recalls. “At another, it was the difference between living in a safe, clean environment versus facing potential homelessness.” Without scholarships, she believes she might have delayed her degree, accumulated significant debt, or put her education on hold altogether. The opportunities created by these scholarships, she explains, inevitably had a ripple effect that positively impacted multiple areas of her life: “Because I was able to work manageable hours and remain in San Francisco, I had access to life-changing opportunities, such as applying for a prestigious fellowship and joining the pilot Art Handling program,” Megan says.

“Because I was able to work manageable hours and remain in San Francisco, I had access to life-changing opportunities, such as applying for a prestigious fellowship and joining the pilot Art Handling program.”
—Megan Rogers (B.S., Public Health, ’24)

These scholarships didn’t just provide financial relief. Speaking directly to SF State donors, Megan says, “Your support creates opportunities for students at a public university who might otherwise feel unseen, unheard, or unsupported. I did not always believe in my ability to succeed or feel deserving of the opportunities I pursued. Being chosen as a scholarship recipient was a profound affirmation of my self-worth, shifting how I viewed myself and my potential.”

Megan’s experience at SF State inspired her to give back. She mentored fellow students through Project Rebound, encouraging them to pursue scholarships and their goals. In her final semester, she deepened her understanding of public policy, connecting it to her lived experiences of homelessness, her nonprofit work in housing, and community health. Her involvement in the Willie L. Brown, Jr. Fellowship led to an invitation for her to draft legislative policy. The bill passed, an accomplishment that boosted her self-confidence and solidified her belief in the power of education to create change. Now a proud San Francisco State University graduate, Megan credits SF State and its donors for helping her emerge as a confident, capable leader.