Title:Science and Scholarship

For Toni Eldridge Wilkes, M.D. (C’78), life has always revolved around science. Growing up in Philadelphia, her passion for the sciences motivated her to excel and led to the success she would achieve at Georgetown and beyond. These days, Toni is motivated by another passion—to support first-generation students and give back to the university that gave her the confidence and foundation for her achievements.

As the first in her family to attend college, Toni found the process daunting. Seeking a strong science program with a solid reputation, close to home but outside Pennsylvania, she discovered Georgetown with the help of a neighbor.

Toni participated in the Georgetown Community Scholars Program (CSP), which supports first-generation students with an academic summer session before freshman year to ease the transition to college. The program reflects Georgetown’s commitment to access and affordability, offering enhanced opportunities for a diverse cohort of students.

CSP introduced Toni to the late Rev. Royden B. Davis, S.J., her academic mentor. She credits him for much of her success, as he encouraged her to major in biology, connected her to research at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, and was the first to suggest a career in medicine.

As a first-generation student, Toni knew the Georgetown experience would be challenging. “I knew it would be a hard path, and I knew I would need to work even harder to achieve my goals,” she says. In addition to scholarship support, Toni also worked at the hospital and the student cafeteria, which didn’t leave a lot of time for the social aspects of college.

At her 1978 graduation, Toni received the Louis McCahill Award from the College of Arts and Sciences, recognizing her perseverance and determination in pursuing her education. She credits Rev. Davis for this honor. The award and her Georgetown experience reinforced the lifelong importance of hard work and perseverance.
“No matter how modest your means, just keep working hard and don’t give up,” she says.
After Georgetown, Toni earned her M.D. from Temple University, where she met her husband, David Wilkes, M.D. Toni practiced as an OB/GYN, serving low-income patients before building a successful private practice. Both chose careers that allowed them to give back to their communities. David pursued research and later served as Associate Dean at Indiana University School of Medicine and Dean at the University of Virginia School of Medicine.
Toni and David have included a bequest for Georgetown in their estate planning. “I never thought in a million years I would be able to give back to the institution that gave me so much, but that is what I am doing—and what one should do,” she says.

The gift will create the Toni Eldridge Wilkes, M.D., (C’78) and David S. Wilkes, M.D., Endowed Scholarship Fund to support undergraduates in the college studying the sciences, focusing on students enrolled in the Regents STEM Scholars Program (RSSP), which addresses the shortage of first-generation college students who successfully complete degrees in STEM fields. Toni wanted to start awarding the scholarship as soon as possible, so she and David also made an outright commitment using an IRA QCD, which will allow them to meet the students benefiting from their scholarship and see first-hand the impact of their philanthropy. The bequest will add to the scholarship in the future and create a lasting legacy at Georgetown for Toni and David.

“My wish is to see other students like me achieve great things,” says Toni. “It can and will happen at Georgetown. It happened to me, and that’s why I feel strongly about making this gift.”