I am Grace Hernandez, a newly graduated SHS Alumni. My current plans are to go to University of Oregon in pursuit of a BA in Spanish while also fulfilling the prerequisites necessary to be considered for medical school. However, none of this would be as possible and as stress-free without the hard work and dedication I put into scholarship applications. I had applied for 24 scholarships in total and received 19 of them. With the amount of money I received, including the large scholarship I got from the Silverton Alumni Association, I am able to completely pay for tuition and room and board for my 1st year and then cover my tuition for the next 3 years after that. And for some they may not feel as weighed down by the idea of debt because they have someone helping them pay for their higher education, but for me I was told that if I wanted to go to college then I would have to pay for it myself. There was no way for me to do it on my own, so I went seeking any and all scholarships I could apply for that would take some of the financial stress off my mind, whether it was $500 or $10,000! By putting myself out there and taking the extra hour or five to push through an application, I have found that although the work may feel overwhelming and not-so worth it at the moment, the payout is always greater than you may think. In my case I am able to send myself through college completely debt-free! I hope that I can also help students find their own version of my story because I believe that your dreams and career goals should not be put down or set aside because of debt. There is so much money out ther to help people pay for education, all you have to do is dig a little!
