Troy University alumna Wendy McGhee, one of Georgia’s 100 Women of Excellence and a leader in technology for nearly 30 years, has established an endowed scholarship for TROY students majoring in technology fields.

Named the Wendy McGhee Endowed Scholarship for an Outstanding Computer Science Student, the scholarship aims to support students pursuing technology degrees, a field where she has built an international career.

“There is so much opportunity in technology,” McGhee said. “I want students to know they belong in this industry and can thrive in it. If this scholarship helps even one student take that step, then it will have been worth it.”

Her decision to create the scholarship was inspired by a conversation with her nephew, Payton M. McGhee, also a TROY graduate.

“I’ve often talked about how few women I see in technology,” she said. “He reminded me that establishing a scholarship could encourage more young women to enter the field. It felt like the right way to give back to the place that started it all for me.”

McGhee graduated from TROY in 1990 as one of the first graduates of the computer science program, with a double major in computer science and accounting and a minor in speech.

Originally planning to be a teacher, she changed her mind once she arrived on campus—and changed her future.

“When I got to TROY, I realized a few things: what I liked, what I didn’t like and that I was very good at math and computers,” she said. “My advisor told me about this new computer science program at what was then named Troy State University, so I decided to change my major to study computers instead. My learning experience was everything I thought it would be.”

Though she commuted from her home in Crenshaw County during her freshman year and was one of few women in her computer science classes, she quickly found her village on campus. A job in the Records Office, the mentorship of faculty and lifelong friendships with classmates shaped her experience.

“The friends that I made there are still my friends to this day. I still talk to people that I was in class with and my college roommate,” she said. “Tech can be so hard, and you need that support, even if they’re not in tech. My advisor, Mrs. Carnley, encouraged me to go for my double major. And when my mother passed away during my junior year, my teachers and classmates and friends surrounded me with love and support. That’s why TROY always holds such a great place in my heart.”

McGhee also developed a friendly relationship with Chancellor Dr. Jack Hawkins, Jr. during her time as a student worker, and with First Lady Janice Hawkins while working at a boutique in downtown Troy. Though she didn’t discover the connection between Mrs. Hawkins and TROY until six months before graduation, she distinctly remembers the impact Mrs. Hawkins had on her.

“You know how it is when you find somebody who’s just a delight. She would come in to shop, and we’d chit-chat while I helped her style some things for her girls, but we would have the best conversations,” McGhee recalled. “She was sitting on the front row when I graduated, and as I came off the steps, she handed me my card, grabbed my hand, and said, ‘Go be great.’ And it stuck with me.

“You must know who you are to go be great, and you can get that foundation at TROY. If you cultivate a village that believes in you and the excellence you can bring, that will help you in any aspect of your life.”

Mrs. Hawkins shared that some of her and Dr. Hawkins’ happiest memories at TROY come from time spent with students, and she is grateful to have played a positive role in McGhee’s experience at the University.

“Wendy is an amazing young woman who is clearly capable of and proving that she can ‘do great things!’ she said. “Not only is she doing so much to help her own country, she has taken it to an international level in South Africa—which is what Troy University promotes and believes in so wholeheartedly. God has richly blessed her with intellect and talent, and she has used it so well for the benefit of all of us.”

Since graduating from TROY, McGhee has worked at numerous Fortune 500 companies before launching her own firm in 1999, Kendrick-McGhee Consulting, Inc., which specialized in mergers, acquisitions and ERP software projects for large firms.

In 2019, KMC was renamed Wendy McGhee & Associates and now specializes in cloud services, data science and cybersecurity. She’s also partnered with PWM Technologies in Johannesburg, South Africa. Together, WMA and PWM povide 24-hour technology development and support to clients around the world.

In 2016, McGhee began speaking to groups about investing and building personal and generational wealth. Her class, “Wendy on Wealth,” is recognized as one of the top online financial courses for those interested in wealth-building and financial freedom.

“I got a job right away because of TROY being on my résumé. I’ve gotten jobs since because of TROY on my résumé,” she said. “I’m a better business owner because of the diversity of people I encountered at TROY. It grounded and rounded me so much, as a global citizen.

“I made my first million before I was 40, and now my goal is to employ TROY graduates and show people that they don’t have to go to Alabama or Auburn if they’re from Alabama just to be seen.”  she continued. “You can go to TROY and get just as good—or better—of an education. I built my village out of what people used to call the ‘small nursing school’. My college experience shaped who I am as a woman and CEO. I’ve been able to do so many things, and it’s because of the foundation I received from TROY.”

For more information on the Wendy McGhee Endowed Scholarship for an Outstanding Computer Science Student or to apply, visit troy.academicworks.com/opportunities.