“They left no instructions or recipe card for the trust,” Mernik said. “They wanted us to give back and support nonprofi ts of our choosing that were meaningful to us and that would allow their legacy to carry on while we built our own.”
Mernik gave it some thought, and decided that his alma mater, Flagler College, was the best place to invest his resources.
“My time at Flagler was so impactful,” he said. “I met lifelong friends, I studied abroad, I got involved, and I grew so much as a person. I knew after graduation that I needed to stay involved and contribute as much as possible to the future of Flagler.”
Mernik graduated in 2021 with a degree in Criminology. During his time at Flagler, he served as Vice President of both Student Government and the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. He is the fi rst generation in his family to graduate.
“I know that made my grandparents very proud,” Mernik said. “They neither graduated from college nor had the means to go.”
In honor of his late grandparents, whom he called his “twin pillars and biggest supporters,” Mernik established the Richard and Judith Anderson Memorial Endowed and Annual Scholarships. Matched 2:1 by a grant provided by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust, the awards benefi t fi rst-year students with a declared major in Criminology, a minor in Pre-Law or a major in Business Administration.
Mernik also named the College’s Mail Services Facility and the Printing Room in Flagler’s cutting-edge entrepreneurial location, the Brown Innovation Center.
