Is It A Crime To Want A Good Education?

It used to be that getting your high school diploma was enough to get you a steady job and a good life, but today this way of life is nearly dead. Getting a degree from a four-year college is more likely to be helpful, and a master's or doctorate degree would just be icing on the cake. It is necessary for me to attend an institution of higher learning so that I may move on in my life and become successful. The only part about college that worries me now is paying for it all. The classes, the atmosphere, and the independence are amazing, but the amount we all must pay for these things is not. To receive a full-ride scholarship to UNO would be a true blessing for me because it would mean that I could finally stop worrying about having a stressful and debt-filled life after graduation. With all of my tuition and book fees paid for I could focus on making the most of my classes, learning real life skills, and feeling secure about my financial situation.

Scholarship donors should feel assured that their investment in me would be worthwhile for several reasons. First, I will show my appreciation by keeping excellent grades. Second, I will participate in extracurricular activities to show my interest in the broader collegiate world, and third, I will take rigorous courses to make sure that I make the best use of my generous funding. I have worked as hard as possible to make the most of my high school career for the purpose of earning financial aid. The thought of having all of these opportunities waiting for me to seek out gives me huge motivation every day.

For four years I have studied hard and retaken the ACT to improve my score from a 20 to a 29. I have been involved in numerous after school activities and volunteer projects ranging from community musicals to calculus tutoring. I love to learn and help people overcome their problems, but one problem of my own is paying for college. My parents have never forced me to get a job because they said that my job was to be a good student. Having little money is scary for me but I understand now why my parents had me do it this way; working diligently for good grades and building strong relationships was the best way for me to succeed. Instead of wasting my time at a meaningless teenage job, I have found my true interests and made some great friends. I hope to apply these skills in college in order to earn a good start to the rest of my life.

It is my hope that this scholarship committee will see my ambition as a worthy exchange for a full-ride college investment. My life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness await at the university level and I don't want to let them get away. Wanting to experience lifelong learning is an inherited trait that I value highly. From the time I was very young I have loved to go to school, and all I can ask the bank now is: is it a crime to want a good education?