School Pride Scholarship

I can still remember when I was adamant in the 8th grade about not attending college after high school. I saw no point in giving another four years of my life away to schooling, and so I was content with whatever job would be available to me after my senior year. Something snapped, and my dream school, American University, changed everything.

Since discovering the school in 10th grade, I have been on campus on at least four occasions. From the very first time I attended a Day Visit with my parents and baby sister, I knew I'd found a home. Something about American draws you in, I swear.

From the quad that's always active and populated to the diversity of the students, an otherworldly experience overwhelms you. I've contacted faculty multiple times for various reasons (looking for a job shadow opportunity, asking about scholarships, inquiring about majors and the film industry, etc), and not once have I gotten a fill-in-the-blank response from any of them.

Jill Heitzmann, Senior Advisor of Undergraduate Recruitment, offers timely and animated responses to my many questions, and in cases where she's not sure of the answer, always directs me to the right source. Kylos Brannon, a professor of media studies, allowed me to observe his Basic Media class, where he sat back with a calm, cool and collected demeanor to teach his students the ins and outs of business cards using PhotoShop. Leena Jayaswal and I bonded over the fact that we share a first name (spelled the "RIGHT" way!), while she continues to mentor me on the educational path I want to follow in film and media.

Aside from the staff, American offers up an educational experience that you won't find elsewhere. Other institutions may brag that their professors and live-in experts hail from around the world and actively practice what they teach, and there may be some truth to that. But at American, that experience is palpable. Work from professors and staff is proudly displayed in hallways and showcases, and students often meet with their instructors over lunch and other venues. The range of Study Abroad opportunity almost makes one want to salivate.

In learning that I had the option of spending time anywhere from the Czech Republic, to Argentina, and beyond, I knew I'd found my school. American is partnered up with so many institutions that it is commonplace for classrooms to chat with students in Mexican and Russian colleges and universities. Instead of lazing around during my future spring breaks, I, as an admitted student, now have the option of making a difference in either my community or the world with Alternative Breaks, a program that takes students all over to volunteerer.

At American, you feel purposeful. Politics may run the streets at a university nestled in the very womb of Washington, DC, but there's an even greater undercurrent that pushes students to learn about themselves and their commitment to something bigger: the world at large. Here, you become a contender.

This scholarship is sponsored by CenturyLinkQuote.com.