Leah Farias IB '09 and Evan Collins MGT '09 owe their love to Martha Guy.
The recently engaged couple met as rising high school seniors attending the first Martha Guy Summer Institute for Future Business Leaders. The rest is their history, according to the Appalachian News Bureau. 
During the three-week program, they fell in love with campus and chose to enroll at Appalachian as freshmen. And later, like many Appalachian students, they fell in love with each other.
The young couple, now engaged, has started successful careers in Washington, D.C., and they both attribute their strong start to MGSI.
"Without attending MGSI, there was a very big chance I would not have attended Appalachian," said Collins, a medical education specialist at the Association of American Medical Colleges. "It affirmed in my mind that by going to Appalachian and the Walker College of Business I would receive a solid, well-rounded business education that would open up many possibilities in the future."
"I was always interested in international business," said Farias, a financial analyst for SRA International Inc. "After learning more about the major and study abroad programs during MGSI, I knew Appalachian was a perfect fit for me."
The seventh class of Martha Guy attendees comes to campus beginning Sunday, July 11. For three weeks they will engage in classroom activities, team-building exercises and a trip to Wall Street. It is all due to the generosity of Martha Guy, who served for 60 years as president of Avery County Bank. She has funded 75 percent of the cost of the program since its inception.
"Miss Guy's generosity in establishing this unique program has allowed us the opportunity to provide life-changing experiences for these high school students," said Walker College of Business Dean Randy Edwards. ...
"I believe programs like these offer a tremendous return on investment for the individual who attends, and the university as well," said Collins, who has already started working on a master of health administration (MSHA) degree at George Mason University.
"Appalachian needs more people like Martha Guy to step up and make a commitment to the university in the manner that she did," he added. "Leah and I hope to be so fortunate that we too can give back in a manner that can make such an impact."
To learn more about how you may positively impact an Appalachian student, visit www.give.appstate.edu.
