Lauren and Dorothy | Hawaii and Virginia

A grandfather’s decision to buy a year of Prepaid529 for his granddaughter sent a clear message to her: Education is something for which one prepares, saves, even sacrifices. Now a professor at the University of Hawaii, Lauren became the beneficiary of that Virginia529 account when she was in sixth grade.

Lauren and her grandmother Dorothy shared their sweet story with Virginia529.

“Rhodes read the newspaper every morning and he saw an article about the Virginia prepaid tuition program,” Dorothy explained. “He decided to buy it for the four grandchildren [who were eligible at the time].”

Lauren added, “My parents also invested in the Virginia529 plan, so it was really a family affair. The entire family was invested both financially and emotionally in securing my future and my education. I will be forever grateful for that.”

Lauren was the first of Dorothy’s and Rhodes’ grandchildren to use the Prepaid529 tuition. She attended the University of Virginia, earning a bachelor’s and a master’s degree. After, she taught school for four and a half years. Then she went back to school to earn a PhD from Old Dominion University.

Lauren’s grandfather passed away at 89. The family found a journal in his nightstand.

In the journal, Lauren discovered some insight into her grandfather’s philosophy toward life.

“On one of the pages, he listed his five biggest life lessons. Number one was doing things right. Virginia’s Prepaid529 plan is just an absolute living example of his constant effort to do things right and to make sure that people that he loved were prepared and taken care of.”