Over the course of the year, seniors work hard to get good grades and many apply for scholarships. Specifically, seniors Ava P, and Mia S, received scholarships for their hard work and dedication in school. Other seniors Nathaniel D. and Jaclyn A. also received Heritage scholarships.
“I received the Stahley scholarship which is mostly for students who took AP Lang, and excel in English areas,” Ava says.
Different scholarships have different application processes, but some are more simple than others. Ava explains, “I just took AP Lang and I guess I participated in class and just made myself a distinguishable student, like somebody who stood out. My understanding is that the teachers recommended students who they think fit the scholarship.”
Receiving a scholarship can bring many emotions. Ava shares, “I feel very excited, it feels exciting that I was chosen for something, especially because I really love English so it’s nice to get a little validation.”
Mia S also received a scholarship, but this particular one has a notable and significant story behind it.
“I won the Danny Dietz scholarship…it’s to honor one of our graduates who sadly died in war, he was in Afghanistan and he was one of three hundred who all got killed while they were in battle, so it’s mainly to represent his presence and just his spirit. His mom really started the foundation to honor a Heritage student in order to fund their education,” Mia says.
Mia explained the application process: “Basically I had to fill out an online application, so I had to send in my transcript and my letters of recommendation. Then you have to write an essay, I would say that’s the most important part of all of it and so it was a five hundred word essay, which made it challenging,” Mia says.
While receiving a scholarship can bring happiness, it can also be surprising and shocking. “Honestly I was surprised when I got it, I did not think I was going to get it. I’ve known the last three recipients and to their standard they had a higher GPA, higher SAT scores, everything, so I truly did not think I was going to get it,” Mia says.
Scholarships specifically given to HHS students in the past consist of the Danny Dietz, the Stahley scholarship, Boettcher Scholars, Presidential Scholars, National Merit Scholars and Daniel’s Fund Scholarship.