I’m a junior at the moment, but it feels like just yesterday I received an information form about a full-ride scholarship to the University of Delaware (U.D.). At first, I didn’t put much thought into the idea because I assumed the process would be too difficult, and that there would be too many students applying that I wouldn’t even have a chance of getting it. Little did I know, it was more likely than I thought.
After attending a meeting with my mom and a few other students and their parents, I managed to become convinced that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I would be incredibly ludicrous not to take it. So I did. My mom and I filled out some forms regarding my family’s financial status, and I wrote an essay focused on what receiving this scholarship would mean to me. Sometime after that, I was picked up early from school and driven to the U.D. campus, where I waited to be interviewed by two people who were part of the foundation, one of them being Joshua Meekins. I had no idea what to expect, but once I was asked about my dream job and my favorite band, I became ten times more confident. The thing that made me the most comfortable was how genuinely interested the interviewers were to hear the things I was saying.
Fast forward to a few minutes later and you’ll see my mom’s long Facebook post after her fifteen-year-old daughter had just received a full-ride scholarship, as well as four others in my class. Trust me, there were tears.
From then on, it has been an increasingly eventful journey going with this foundation. Throughout the course of just over a year, I have had many opportunities to attend lunches, meet the Twin Poets, conquer an escape room and even spend the night at the university. At the overnight stay, we were able to take a detailed tour of the campus, eat in the dining hall, ask for advice from current U.D. students and sleep in the freshman dorms. I’ve been able to get closer to friends I’ve made at my high school, as well as make new friends who will be attending college with me in just a few years.
Another opportunity that the GSBF has provided me with was the chance to be paired up with a mentor. Toward the beginning of this process, every scholar filled out an online survey where we answered basic questions about ourselves and what we would like in a mentor. It was a pretty long process due to background checks and interviews, but eventually, we were each assigned a mentor. Their job is simply to be there for us when we need to talk, are having trouble in school or are stressing about college. Luckily, I have been paired with the same mentor as one of my best friends, which gives us more chances to hang out outside of school, as well as catch up with our mentor (Hi Deanna).
The massive weights of student debt and choosing a college have been lifted from my shoulders and my main focus can now be placed over maintaining good grades. Everyone offered and chosen has the responsibility of keeping a B average and a 3.0 GPA, which is something I try my hardest to do, and exceed at every year. I am continuously and endlessly thankful for my school and my guidance counselor for making me aware of this opportunity so that I can save my mom and dad the stress of finding ways to pay for my college tuition. Thank you to Bob Carr, the founder of the GSBF, for using your privilege in the best way possible, and for allowing students like me the chance to attend college debt-free.
If you live in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California, Illinois or New York, are Pell Grant-eligible and are a ninth-grade student, go here to apply for the scholarship or to apply to be a mentor. (Ask your parents first.)
