Our Story

The Amish Descendant Scholarship Fund (ADSF) is managed by a small group of people with big dreams – to help other formerly Amish and Plain students achieve their dreams of earning a college education.

The story of how ADSF got started is heartwarming. It started when two cousins, Emma Miller and Naomi Kramer, were both struggling college students. They had both left their Amish families and communities to pursue education, and they were not getting any emotional or financial support from their parents. The struggles they went through were hard, so they kept looking for scholarships to help out formerly Amish students, but they couldn't find any.

The day Emma graduated from San Diego State University, she looked out over the auditorium and felt so proud and so happy that she had gotten to this day, but she was also sad when she looked out over the auditorium and saw her friends with their parents. Then came the heartbreaking moment when students were asked to get up and thank their parents for their support. All Emma could do was stand there and cry. She looked out over the audience and saw her friends crying with her.

This story could have been anyone who left a Plain community to pursue a college education. All of us have felt alone in our journey through college.

On Emma's graduation day, she vowed she would make this easier for other students who leave the Amish and have dreams of earning a college education. You can read more about Emma's story on our blog.

Emma teamed up with Naomi, who was still struggling through her senior year of nursing school at Goshen College, to start a scholarship fund. They awarded their first scholarships in 2012, and ADSF has been awarding scholarships every year since then.

In 2024, Emma stepped away from ADSF. Saloma Miller Furlong and Eythana Miller stepped forward to become administrators for the fund, and with the help of Freeman Miller, who had been supporting the work Emma and Naomi had been doing, formed a board. This new team has brought ADSF to another level with the aim of helping more students. They have also been forming a community of educated formerly Amish and Plain scholars to support and aid one another wherever they are in their educational journey though conferences and networking.

Thank you for reading, and know that our team and those students we serve are grateful for all donations we receive. Please visit our Donate page to leave a contribution that will assist worthy students reach their academic goals.