Samantha P.
Akwesasne, NY

Samantha is a junior attending the State University of New York at Potsdam. She grew up in Akwesasne, NY, a Mohawk reservation that borders the United State and Canada. She was always actively involved with sports. She played ice hockey on local teams and later participated in the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in Canada and the New York State Empire Games. She was part of the National Honor Society, president of the Health Club, president of the Salmon River High School Chorus, and a member of the Keystone Club. Samantha Samantha was presented with a number of awards her senior year of high school including the Citizen’s Award and the New York State Comptroller Award. Her Mohawk name is Kaniharos (Ga-nee-ha-lohs) and is of the Turtle Clan of the Mohawks.

"Scholarships.com has opened me up to numerous scholarship opportunities that I would never have found without their help. The personalized scholarship choices are amazing and they give you so many options to choose from. They also give you the chance to see other scholarship opportunities that you might have previously overlooked. Scholarships.com really is an amazing website that has its users in mind."

- Samantha

Cassandra P.
Phoenix, AZ

Cassandra is a Gaming and Simulations [Computer] Programmer currently attending DeVry University. She programs software for games and recently got an independent license to make her own. Her goal in the near future is to start her own game/simulation company.

"Women are underrepresented in the gaming world, especially since there are more female gamers than adolescent male gamers. Ladies, do not give up on your dreams!! You can do whatever you want in life. Do not let money hold you back. The first scholarship I applied to at Scholarships.com I received. If I was more on the ball, I would not have even had to take out student loans. Do not let anyone or anything limit your potential. Embrace the people who encourage you because they know how fantastic you really are. I got where I am today because of the undying support of my fiancé, my mother and myself. You can do it. Always rock it out! "

- Cassandra

Cheuk C.
Oakland, CA

Cheuk is in her third year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she is majoring in architecture.

"I definitely feel excited that I have been chosen as the winner of the $1000 Scholarships.com College Design Scholarship when I received the email from Scholarships.com!

I found Scholarships.com as a great site that enables to fulfill both my academic goals and other interests. While I am majoring in Architecture, I began to search for different opportunities in order to learn and experience in the design world. Eventually, one of my approaches is applying for various scholarships to improve my writing skills and introduce my major and its significant meaning in my life.

During my early years in college, scholarships appear to be a difficult process for me because it deals with a lot of writing and it is too competitive to win the award out of the other honor students. By receiving this award, I become confident in other things that I used to be afraid to do. It encourages me to take a step closer to try participating in other opportunities such as internships and community services. Since it had so much impact on me, I think Scholarships.com is the first scholarship site that I relied on and I feel grateful to be given an opportunity for more confidence in myself. Thank you, Scholarships.com! "

- Cheuk

Briana G.
Fort Collins, CO

Briana is a Food Science/Dietetics major at Colorado State University. She hopes to use her knowledge to help the American population with the obesity epidemic. In the meanwhile, she is enjoying school and living in Colorado.There aren't a whole lot of places that make you want to be outdoors all the time. Biking, camping, hiking, snowboarding, white water rafting... the recreational possibilites are endless.

"My gratitude goes to Scholarships.com for helping me on the financial end so I can thrive in this wonderful place. It is marvelous to have some financial support while paying my own way through college. Their website has been very easy to use and the scholarship opportunities are almost overwhelming. Thank you Scholarships.com for helping me get one step closer to my degree. "

- Briana

Deisha P.
Molokai, HI

Deisha will be attending Kapiolani Community College in the fall to study business.

"A friend recommended scholarships.com. I was a bit hesitant at first thinking my chances of winning would be like one in a millon...To my surprise I actually won something. Who would have thought this would be possible, coming from a small town in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. All minorities like myself are encouraged to apply. This free service works."

- Deisha

Julia D.
Concord, NH

From a very young age, Julia has loved theatre. She auditioned for her first community production at the age of seven. She has been in several community and professional productions and recently earned a nomination for Best Female Actress in a Drama/Comedy by the New Hampshire Theatre Awards for 2009. When she's not doing theatre, Julia stays active with school activities like the varsity track and field team, the spanish club and student government. In the fall, Julia will be attending Tulane University to further her career in theatre.

Robert D.
Omaha, NB

Robb was born profoundly deaf. He enjoys history, architecture, reading, writing, and a myriad of other subjects. This drove him to participate in the Academic Decathlon throughout the latter half of his high school career. In his senior year, he was the Top Scorer Overall at the Nebraska state finals and his team took 3rd at the Academic Decathlon National Finals. In the fall, he will attend Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, and he is thinking about majoring in computer science, architecture, or maybe even graphics design.

"I loved Scholarships.com because even though I was so busy my senior year with school activities, email notifications from Scholarships.com helped me stay on track. I have to say it was the most useful tool in helping me pay for my college education because I did not have to undergo the laborious process of searching for scholarships: they were all connected to me via this excellent service."

-Robb D.

Kriti G.
Fremont, CA

Kriti plans to pursue her passion for science at the the University of California, San Diego. She shares a passion for running and has been a cross country and track runner all four years of high school. Kriti also enjoys Harry Potter and Bollywood movies.

" I'm glad to be given the opportunity to write about something I didn't see coming. I do see it clearly now: that science is my best subject, and it has become a class I look forward to every day. I know that when I attend college, that will not change. Paying for college, however, is not an easy task. I would like to thank Scholarships.com for offering me such a wonderfully easy way to earn free college money, and for taking me one step closer to my goal! "

-Kriti G.

Zachary M.
St. Anthony, MN

Zachary is a junior at the University of Wisconsin. He is majoring in Philosophy and Pre-law, as well as pursuing a minor in Political Science. With a busy school schedule, he still finds time to be the president of the Pre-Law association and work part-time on campus.

"I'm certainly glad I found Scholarships.com. The service is very easy to use, which means I had no problems finding scholarships that fit me and my interests and needs."

-Zachary M.

Vivian N.
Austin, TX

Vivian plans to attend the University of Texas at San Antonio and major in history. She plans on transferring into UT at Austin sophomore year and eventually go on to pursue a doctorate. Her goal is to go into social services and help people in other communities around the world. She enjoy reading, drawing, and listening to music.

"My parents were afraid that pursuing a history major would be expensive and leave me jobless. I listened to them and struggled on choosing something else. For a few months, long after I had told everyone about my decision to become a nurse, I kept struggling to find something better. When I saw that I had won this scholarship, I realized that I never needed to find a new major afterall. No one becomes a history major for the money anyways. Thanks Scholarships.com. "

-Vivian N.

Susannah E.
Columbus, OH

Susannah plans to attend College of Wooster and major in biomedical engineering. She would also like to continue studying French and spend a semester studying in France. She is an active member of school and, in her spare time, enjoys playing the piano and reading, both of which she usually does with her two pet cockatiels sitting on her shoulders.

"Scholarships.com has definitely been the best scholarship website I’ve used. It is organized extremely well, making the daunting prospect of looking for scholarships much less intimidating. Also, this site seems to draw on a huge pool of resources for listing scholarships, which gives users plenty of opportunities to find the right scholarships for them. "

-Susannah E.

Samantha W.
Centerville, IA

Sam is pursuing her Associate of Arts degree at Indian Hills Community College and hopes to transfer to a four-year school where she can major in Graphic Design and English. When she isn’t working or studying, she enjoys reading, writing, and catching up with her friends.

"I put off applying for scholarships for months because I didn’t know where to start. I was intimidated by the enormity of the task; I didn’t know where to look or how to sift through the thousands of scholarships available. But Scholarships.com made the process simple by tailoring search results and e-mail notifications for scholarships to fit my qualifications. I’m excited to have won this scholarship, and I’ll definitely continue using this site as I attempt to pay for my college education. "

-Samantha W.

Kristen S.
Chagrin Falls, OH

Kristen is a high school senior at Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio and will graduate in May of 2009. She is looking forward to finishing the college application process that seems to overwhelm first semester of senior year. Her college choices include OSU, Penn State, Purdue, UVA, BU, Syracuse, University of Miami in Coral Gables FL, SLU, and Notre Dame in South Bend. She plans to study aeronautical engineering. Outside of school, Kristen participates in dance, drama, varsity swimming, and competitive debate. While Kristen’s favorite subjects have always been physics and math, she fostered a desire to become an engineer outside of the classroom. Fifteen years of ballet, out of control science fair projects, and countless hours watching her father, also an engineer influenced her decision to pursue engineering.

"Scholarships.com was a simple solution to the seemingly insurmountable problem of paying for college. The website was easy to use and understand. Scholarships that could be particularly applicable to a student were immediately apparent and could be accessed without difficulty."

-Kristen S.

Crystal J.
Whitewater, WI
University of Wisconsin

Crystal is currently working toward her undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. After graduation she plans to spend her life convincing others of the importance of literacy. In other words, she will teach. Crystal believes that the written word holds more power than anything else. She believes that words change lives and that only through education can we truly expand our minds and make sense of our world. She currently works in the tutorial center at the university and spends most of her time either there, in class or at the office where she is completing my internship.

"College has given me a wider lens from which I have learned to view the world. Unfortunately, it is a very expensive lens. Scholarships.com makes paying for college a little easier by offering so many great opportunities to students who are willing to take them. Up until I stumbled upon Scholarships.com the scholarship hunting process was daunting at best. This site made it both accessible and efficient to apply for scholarship opportunities; by taking into account your specific needs and interests and then mapping out a comprehensive list of the scholarship opportunities most suited for you. Thanks so much!"

- Crystal J.

Samantha F.
Elkton, MD
University of Maryland, College Park

The primary reason Samantha attended UMD was because it had over one hundred majors. Luckily she found her niche in computer science and economics. Currently, Samantha is working to create a mathematical model that can predict transitions in a system like our atmosphere.

"I couldn't believe my eyes when I read your email. I have applied to so many scholarships in the past, but have never won any! Plus, this good news could not have come at a better time. It is a great honor to for me to have my essay chosen as the winner for the College Computer Science Scholarship. I sincerely thank you and everyone involved in the awarding process."

- Samantha F.

Darby T.
Sherman, TX
Savannah College of Art and Design

Darby is pursuing a career in design by attending the Savannah College of Art and Design. Her first design class challenged her in a way that was invigorating and inspiring. Darby's major allows her to study everything she loves –art, psychology, anthropology- while giving her the satisfaction of applying her knowledge in a way that benefits people. When she needs an outlet for more expressive art without constraints, Darby works as a freelance artist, or plays the cello.

"As a busy student, hunting scholarships was a task that was difficult to fit into my demanding schedule. Scholarships.com made it easy by narrowing opportunities to fit my needs and interests. I could spend less time hunting for scholarships and more time creating quality entries. I would still be in the dark about so many scholarships if it weren’t for this great site. "

- Darby T.

Sarah G.
Oak Park, IL
Kendall College

Sarah is returning to college for a degree in Culinary Arts after getting a BA in English at Cornell College in Iowa. Her dream is to one day open a restaurant that not only serves delicious, healthy food from local sustainable sources, but also helps to educate and promote environmentalism in its customers. She hopes to organize trips to restore prairie at the nearby Morton Arboretum, invite speakers to the restaurant for evening events, and, if she has the space, even grow her own garden to produce some of her own ingredients.

Aaron I.
Pittsburg, PA
University of Pittsburg

Aaron recently retired from a nine year career as a professional classical ballet dancer with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Ballet has been a wonderfully fulfilling dream job for Aaron, and has cultivated his keen interest in travel. He attended school part time while dancing and is returning full time as a junior, simultaneously pursuing a degree in History and Finance.

Click Here to Read Aaron's Essay

"Since registering with Scholarships.com I have found a number of scholarships and grants for which I am eligible including the Scholarships.com Business Scholarship, the Seabee Memorial Scholarship, and the Union Plus Scholarship. Scholarshps.com utilizes an intuitive search that makes it easy to find scholarships that are appropriate to me. I will continue to use the service throughout my schooling with the goal of graduating loan free!"

- Aaron I.