Redwood Ranger, Antonella Cardenas ‘24 receives a special check for a scholarship to William Jessup University!
By: Lily Swanson
With a little less than two months left of school, seniors are waiting for letters from colleges and chasing the possibilities of acceptance. Finding a college that fits your needs, wants, and budget is difficult but possible. Savoring the feeling of achieving your dreams of attending a good school and specializing in a specific program. For some people attending college isn’t a possibility because of cost. For students who need financial help to attend college, it can be a struggle.
Some colleges offer scholarships and student loans to aid you in paying for your tuition. Scholarships are rare and an honor to receive whenever they are gifted. When Antonella Cardenas ‘24 applied for her scholarship she says, “I’m a tennis player and I plan to play tennis in college, so their coach contacted me and we have been talking about an opportunity for me to play on the team but I needed a scholarship to go since it was a private university.”
“After I applied their admissions team and the coach contacted me and told me about an event that we do every year called the scholars showcase,” Cardenas says. She attended the showcase with other previous winners who have their own stories on receiving a scholarship. “One of them was a girl who is new to the golf team actually and she interviewed for it. I think she said she was from San Diego. She said she wanted to go to Jessup so she went to the scholars showcase and got interviewed.” Says, Cardenas.
The girl and Cardenas were both very excited about having the opportunity to earn this scholarship. Cardenas says, “She told me she cried during her interview and I cried too. She said ‘There you go we both cried now you will probably get in’. We were just joking about it and her story was so similar to mine. We both wanted to go, both wanted to play there but we also needed financial help to go.”
After meeting the previous winners and being interviewed she waited for word from Jessup. Soon they contacted her through counselor Mariscal and her parents and let her know the good news. Cardenas says, “So they told my parents ‘Your daughter won the full tuition scholarship’ Then about two weeks ago they came into school with a check they surprised me with the check saying congratulations you received the scholarship.”
After receiving the exciting news, Cardenas says “It feels unreal that I have got in because I never thought I would get an opportunity like this. It feels so unreal but I’m also really, really thankful for it!”
lily swanson
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