I recall my English teacher telling me in high school: their time spent filling out scholarship applications has been their highest paying job per hour... ever. Imagine a thousand dollars an hour for a three-hour application process. All it takes is taking that risk, the risk that your efforts will be wasted.

To have been awarded as many scholarships as I have been, it took a lot of willpower to meet those deadlines. It's normal to feel so stressed that you push it off to the last minute (I'm not condoning that!), and it's normal to feel like out of a pool of hundreds, your application could be lost in the crowd that you won't stand out.

My secret? I won't let myself be forgotten, not anymore.

I've also had my friend's mother tell me: It isn't worth trying for scholarships when only the best of the best get them (not to mention how few you would qualify for). It is a darn good thing I didn't listen to my friend's mom, because I would be about $40,000 in debt by now.

I have applied to over 50 scholarships since my senior year of High School, and lo and behold I have been successful with about 20 of them! I would never have imaged the hope donors in the community had for me, their belief in my success has revolutionized my idea of myself. Somehow, someway I convinced them I was worth it.

Convincing myself that I am worth it is a journey that I fear will never end.

Even after I receive acceptance letters, I think, "Do I really deserve this? How could I ever thank them?" Or "how could I ever apologize if I fall from grace?" I've learned these worries don't define the sentiment. It is the present that matters, and my efforts to prove I can seize the day.

Let me be clear, I don't get scholarships, I earn them. I've had people, disgruntled with my success. Insinuate that I didn't deserve my scholarships, that I was a white girl who was eating out of the hand of the white man. That may be true, but I wasn't chosen because of it. There are many privileges I have: the ability to even go to college. But there are also many adversaries that I have overcome and many more that threaten to squash me.

Every day I go to class, every day I rededicate myself to learning, every time I get back up off the shattered ground, every time I cry over a missed grade, I do so with a future in mind. A peaceful future. Thanks to the many wonderful donors I've had in my life, I can.

Scholarship committee's need to know their applicants are dedicated to educational and career success, against all odds. They ask: does this person believe in themselves? Does this person have stable potential?

If I were to give a piece of advice for those who need financial help with secondary education, it would be to dig deep, plan, and care about what the future could hold for you.

Scholarships aren't handed out to people simply because of their background, or their grades, or their extracurricular activities, or their volunteer work (although those do help!) They are handed out to people because of their character. My passion, tenacity, and honesty seep out into my application letters. I build a resume by being involved with not only my success, but the success and needs of the community.

I wouldn't be here today, on the brink of two and a half degrees without the support of myself and my donors.

For that, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

For that, from the bottom of my heart, I implore you to apply (even though it is scary!).

"Don't let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game." — Babe Ruth.