Being a college kid without student loans, here are some things I'd like everyone to know:

1. The Scholarships Took Time

My guidance counselor once told me that filling out scholarships during senior year was like having a second job - and it was! Everyday I was taking at least 2 hours out of my day to work on applications, and the work literally paid off when I would find out that I was chosen for one!

2. The Hard Work Wasn't Easy

"Well I filled out scholarships too!" But did you put in the hard work before senior year of high school? It took hard work to get good grades while also being a part of extracurricular activities during high school, but it is possible to succeed in both.

3. There Was Time Outside The Classroom, Too

Scholarship committees did not only look at your grades, but they wanted to know how involved you were in your community and in your school. Did you get really good grades without trying, but then didn't try with anything else either? That's probably why you didn't get that $500 scholarship over the quarterback who was on the honors list.

4. No Loans ≠ No Work

Just because I don't have student loans to pay off does not mean that I don't have to have jobs to support myself while I'm off at college. Not only do I save my money, but paying for fuel, paying my parents some money for my car, and any other luxury items that I want takes money!

I worked so hard to be able to graduate knowing that I was going to be debt free after college, so that I could focus on saving my money up for other things - such as studying abroad, buying things that I wanted, and being able to participate in things in college with my friends.

Now I'm not saying that I was a perfect 4.0 student all through high school, but I did know the importance of involvement, education and hard work and getting that full-ride to UNL is something that I am very proud of.

Remember, 'you get what you put in'.