Service Foundation Scholarship

As a child I received my first scholarship from the Big Shoulders Fund in Chicago and was able to continue attending my elementary school although my parents could not afford to pay the tuition expenses. They have always been transparent with me about their financial struggles and done their best to pay for my education regardless. From the moment that I received that first scholarship I understood that it was my responsibility to do all that I could in order to be able to attend the college of my choice. I went on to attend high school on a scholarship and became a part of a work study program in order to decrease additional expenses. No aspect of my childhood had taught me how to fit into a prep school, however I was grateful to be there because to

I am the oldest of four girls in a family of six and I will also be the first one in my family to go to college at Texas A&M University. I always thought that scholarships were just going to be bombarded on those who were in the top ten percent of their grade, but as I can see now, I was extremely wrong. It is an uphill battle to pay for college and that is something that I should have seen coming. I believe I need the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Scholarship to attend Texas A&M University because my parents may not be able to provide for my entire four years there.

My mother has raised my brother and myself as a single parent since the divorce. She has also taken on the responsibility of taking care of her mother after some major health issues depleted her ability to care for herself. Our family has struggled financially with this one income issue causing difficulty to provide just the basic needs. My brother is currently attending Florida Atlantic University, and although my mother helps as much as she can, he has to obtain loans just to survive. I know that my mother will not have the ability to help me through college, so I am doing whatever I can do to eliminate the financial road block that is standing in my way to reach my career goal. Receiving a scholarship would help facilitate my ability to focus on my education instead of focusing on the ability to pay for

As upcoming high school seniors, many such as myself, desire scholarships in order to alleviate the financial burden that attending a university can bring. Though this considerable and generous scholarship prize money will be used to further my education at Texas A&M University, my main wish is to bring pride and satisfaction to my family. As a first generation student, I am humbled by the opportunity of obtaining an education in America. Since my parents were migrants from Vietnam and Hong Kong, a successful life here was unheard of many years before. Financial strains do occasionally plague our lives, however, we have not forgotten the strenuous hard work and sacrifice that my parents have conquered in order to put their two daughters through

I understand that my family and I are not living below the poverty line or fighting over bus fare, but this scholarship will still greatly benefit me. When my sister filed the FAFSA, she was not given an extraordinary amount of money. She had to take out loans to pay for her education. My family and I cannot afford to take out any more loans. In 2014, we lost our house due to foreclosure. For two years, every penny we earned went to our savings account to save up for a house. When I was fourteen years old, I had saved up five-thousand dollars for college. I decided to give the money to my parents in order to buy our house. I am a senior in high school, and I have not managed to recoup my money. Meanwhile, my parents are tied down to a thirty-year mortgage. In addition, my grandfather, who lives in Mexico, has been diagnosed with depression. My parents have been sending money over there in order to pay for his care and medicine. Trying to find the right treatment for him has made money a bit tight in my household.

Financial assistance is essential for me to make my dreams a reality. Scholarships will allow me to follow my academic dreams without the crushing burden of student loans or the excessive weight of having to work while taking courses. Being a young Hispanic female, and as a minority in this country, there is a great need I can help to fill. I see how many Hispanic men and women need

I have been extremely fortunate to avoid many hardships. However I have faced a financially barrier, especially as I have set the goal to finance college without loans. My family is not poor, but we do not have enough money to put two women through university. I have taken the initiative to surpass this barrier by working and applying for scholarships. I started by attending community college first as it is less expensive. I quickly realized that the lower tuition was not enough and took a job at a grocery store deli. Most of my income has been placed into my savings. I have saved up a decent sum of money, but will still need help to pay for college. Now I am applying for as many scholarships as humanly possible. I have received scholarships

It used to be that earning a college scholarship, whether it was academic or sports related, was a special honor that few kids received. Now, with the rising cost of college tuition, it has become almost necessary for students to earn scholarships to assist with fees associated with higher education. One year at a public university consumes 27% of the annual middle-class household income (EdTrust). That is a major blow to a middle-class household income. For that reason, parents start planning for college while their children are still young. For many parents, this is just a matter of saving. However, there are many parents that start thinking scholarships while their children are still young.

Although I live in a two parent household, I am only one of two college students in my family. Currently both of my parents are employed in Social Services, and unfortunately they do not have a lot of discretionary income to contribute financially to my college costs. I qualify for a partial Pell Grant, but I will still fall short of the total cost to attend Southeast Missouri State University for the 2016-17 school year. In order to avoid taking out a significant amount of loans, which will leave me in debt I have worked hard in the classroom to maintain a 4.0 GPA to qualify for merit based scholarships. Receiving The Joyce and Thomas H. Stanisic Memorial Scholarship will allow me to focus solely on my education rather than financing my education throughout my sophomore year of college.

I have a plan for my future, I carry an above average grade point average, and I am active in the community. Due to these reasons, I feel as if I am a prime applicant to obtain scholarship. Gaining scholarship will be a huge relief to my family. At my current status, I was unable to obtain financial aid to cover a certain part of my tuition leaving no choice but to pull long hours at work. Neverless, I am learning valuable time management skills. Even though it is tough to go to school and work both full time, I will do whatever I need to achieve my life

As my senior year comes around, it has become more real to me that I have to take charge of my future. I deserve and need this scholarship just as I need oxygen to breathe. Being the first in my family to attend college or even have the idea in their head means I’m on my own to discover what to do to get into college and how to come up with the means. I

My mother received a high school diploma and was not able to attend college due to the fact that my grandparents needed help financially. She had to take on various responsibilities at a young age and could not afford a college education. My mother then decided to go back to school years after she gave birth to me and enrolled in a medical program where she would later become a Certified Nursing Assistant. My mother’s strong motivation and determination enabled her to make something of herself. Her perseverance motivated me to aim high for my goals and succeed. Although she had obtained a job, she still does not have the financial means to send me to college. Therefore, receiving a scholarship or any type of grant whether it is twenty dollars

My family, like many other middle-class families, do not have $20,000 of expendable resources to pay for college for my sister and I. The only way I will be able to afford college is if I receive enough scholarships to cover nearly all the tuition. Our education system and the amount of money necessary to pay for a bachelor’s degree has put financial stress on my parents and have caused me to overextend myself in school and community involvement in hopes of attracting scholarship committees to decide I am deserving of the money they are giving. Education is important because it allows college graduates to obtain stable jobs.

When I think of hardworking and dedication the first people that come to mind are my parents. Both of my parents have come from backgrounds where at times things were difficult. They instilled the values of hard work and passion into me from a young age and have ultimately left me inspired. Neither of my parents could attend a post-secondary institution. In fact, if I am accepted into university then I will be the first child in both past and current generations of my family to obtain a university degree. As hardworking as my parents are, to fully financially support two children who plan on going to university just is not possible while paying for other expenses in life too. Considering my father works in the oil field, as one can imagine, there is never a guaranteed amount of annual income that our family can expect. In 2015 alone we experienced a significant decrease in annual income due to the state of economy and the price of oil. A big reason as to why I am applying for the Centennial Scholarship is because I believe my parents deserve to save for their retirement versus paying for the next eight years of my education. My parents have never said

It is beyond the power of my family's ability to subsidize the college expenses that are required for myself to fulfill my future education. There aren't any special circumstances besides having my mother aid my sibling financially, while having to work in a low paying job. Furthermore, my family's ability is restrained by some loans we had to acquire so we wouldn't live paycheck to paycheck. My family's aid will not be futile as they will assist me as much as they