For most scholarship recipients, contact with scholarship donors ends once the obligatory thank-you note is mailed. However, for students receiving scholarships from the Legacy of Heroines program at Iowa State, the mailing of thank-you notes is just beginning of the real contact. With a requirement different from the average scholarship program, the Legacy of Heroines is becoming a legacy in its own right. The program, run by the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, grants scholarships to female students, said Dianne Bystrom, director of the center. The number of scholarships provided depends on the number of donors the program has each year. This year, there are 25 Legacy of Heroines scholars, nine of whom are freshmen. One of the program’s main goals is to provide the students with networking opportunities. Donor involvement is one of the ways the scholarship recipients participate in networking, although the level of donor involvement varies. Jennifer Spencer, senior in journalism and mass communication and Spanish, said she has had two sponsors her freshman year, when she entered the program. Although she didn’t get the chance to meet her first sponsor and has yet to meet her second, she has communicated with them through letters and phone calls. This year, along with being a scholar in the program, Spencer is a peer mentor for freshmen scholarship recipients. Spencer said the networking experiences are beneficial to the students. “It’s a real inspiration for young women to see these women [the speakers] in leadership roles,” she said. Kathryn Craig, senior in Spanish and finance, has met with her sponsor, Peg Armstrong-Gustafson, at various events sponsored by the Catt Center. Along with networking opportunities, the program also aims to keep the students aware of politics. “The Legacy of Heroines program encourages women to be active in their communities and politics,” Craig said.