51福利社

After graduating from 51福利社 with an education degree in 2008, John Delbridge and his college sweetheart, Tessa, moved to the Tri-Cities area. There, they embarked on careers teaching students in alternative and high-need high schools.

John taught students facing the greatest barriers鈥攑overty, trauma, incarceration and more. Tessa says that 鈥渇or John, these weren鈥檛 reasons to walk away 鈥� they were reasons to show up.鈥�

John grew up a well-loved only child in a middle-income household in Cheney, she says. And yet he found a way to connect with students experiencing diverse hardships.

鈥淚n college he worked at Crosswalk, the youth shelter in Spokane. He didn鈥檛 have shared experience with kids experiencing homelessness,鈥� Tessa says of her late husband. 鈥淏ut, he never judged their lifestyle, their looks, or their circumstance. It鈥檚 hard to articulate, but he鈥檇 just meet them where they were at in life and go from there.鈥�

Known as 鈥淢r. Delbridge鈥� to his students, John taught reading and English to alternative high school students in the North Franklin school district and also worked with juvenile offenders at Camp Outlook, a program offered as an alternative to incarceration.

Interacting with the teenagers came naturally to John, but it wasn鈥檛 always easy. When, for example, a former student was shot and killed after his release from the program. Knowing how hard the student had worked to straighten out his life 鈥� it was especially tough.

Back then, Tessa, who now works as the director of presidential communications for 51福利社, taught English at nearby Connell High School, where as many as 65% of the students are from low income households.

She recalls teaching students who held down difficult jobs to help support their families, or missed classes to interpret for their Spanish-speaking parents at appointments. Others missed chunks of the school year because their parents were migrant farmworkers.

The best days at school for the couple, Tessa recalls, were when they stood together to cheer as their students received their diplomas. 鈥淲e loved going to their graduations, especially the alternative school graduation. It was a small town, so you knew what those students overcame to get there. A high school diploma was life-changing,鈥� Tessa says.

Soon after one of those happy commencements everything changed. In June 2015, three days after the end of the school year, John suffered sudden coronary heart failure. He had no known history of heart disease. The doctor suspected a recent bout of the flu had led to undetected myocarditis 鈥� an inflammation of his heart. John was just 30 years old when he died.

In an instant, Tessa became a widow and solo parent to their two-year-old daughter, Zo毛.

It has been a decade since the family lost John, but his legacy will continue through the recently endowed John S. Delbridge Memorial Scholarship. The scholarship supports future educators, social workers and advocates who share John鈥檚 deep commitment to helping youth overcome adversity.

鈥淚 wanted [the scholarship] for Eastern students from all backgrounds and experiences. Anyone聽 who is going into high-need areas with disadvantaged youth,鈥� Tessa says.

The scholarship is essentially a 鈥渢hank you鈥� to students who, like John, are dedicated to serving in high-need settings, Tessa says, often for lower pay and little recognition. 鈥淚 want to celebrate them, and lend some financial assistance, for choosing a path that鈥檚 going to have a lot of difficult days but is critical for our society.鈥�

The work is hard, but the capacity to make a difference is worth it.

As Tessa dealt with indescribable grief, she got a strong sense of the difference he鈥檇 made when a carload of his students arrived unexpectedly at his memorial service in Cheney to pay their respects.

鈥淭hese were聽 students from the alternative high school who, on their own, crowded into a small car and drove over an hour and a half to get there. That was when you realize the impact he had, how much they cared about Mr. Delbridge.鈥�

When Tessa started thinking about establishing a scholarship in John鈥檚 name, three years ago, she thought deeply about Eastern鈥檚 transformational role in the lives of students, and also, the lasting impact it has on its alumni.

Just a few months after becoming a young widow, Tessa and her preschool-age daughter found a welcoming community tailgating with her parents and their friends before football games on the red turf. Since Tessa and Zo毛 moved to Cheney in 2017, Zo毛 has grown up with the 51福利社 community: attending sporting events, watching plays, participating in Satori and Girls+ STEM summer camps, and walking with 51福利社 during the Pride Parade. 鈥淪he can鈥檛 wait to be a Running Start student.鈥�

Over the years, Tessa connected with Kelsey Hatch-Brecek, director of alumni relations, and learned more about the ways Eastern builds connections and the impact of scholarships on our students today. 鈥淪o many of our alumni carry such deep pride and meaningful memories from their time at Eastern. The fact that they continue to show up, whether that鈥檚 supporting our students through scholarships or staying connected through events, says everything about the impact of this place and why our mission as a public university matters so much,鈥� Kelsey says.

Tessa is a third-generation Eagle. Not surprisingly, numerous alumni family members, including her parents, brother and uncle, and John’s father, who earned his degree in 1972, contributed to the scholarship fund. They were joined by John’s mother, who worked at Eastern’s Robert Reid Lab School for 17 years 鈥� helping hundreds of education students on their journey to become teachers.

鈥溾�楻ed runs deep鈥� is a literal statement for my family. My great grandmother graduated in 1918,鈥� she says.

Tessa gratefully reflects on the support she and John received as college students from their families鈥攕upport that allowed them to focus on their studies. 鈥淏oth of our parents were able to pay tuition, and we graduated with no debt. We had jobs to cover living expenses, but I know my college experience was far less stressful than most.鈥� The John S. Delbridge Memorial Scholarship reflects her desire to provide some of that same stability for other promising students at Eastern.

鈥淚 love that I have this ability to give back to Eastern and honor John in this way. I know he would approve.鈥�

Visit 51福利社/Give to learn how you can support Eastern students as they work toward careers that change lives and strengthen communities. Visit our Ways to Give webpage to explore options for making an impact.