Wonderful Opportunity
"Don't have to take out loans"
“I hope you all never forget the positive impact you have had on my college experience thus far and my future career.” — Alex Watkinson.
Right after issuing 99 scholarships for 2022, the Foundation received this heartfelt note from Alex Watkinson, the recipient of the $5,000 Northshore Community Scholarship awarded in 2021. Alex attended Bothell High School and was heading to Washington State University.
We are pleased to share her expression of gratitude for the scholarship:
“You might not remember who I am, but my name is Alex Watkinson, and last year you chose me to be a recipient of the Northshore Community Scholarship. As I near the end of my very first year of college, I wanted to take the time to thank you once again for this wonderful opportunity. I am so grateful for everything that the scholarship has offered me, and it is an extremely humbling experience to receive it.
“Trying to navigate paying for college this past year has been a challenge. Over Christmas break, while working full-time to try and save enough to pay for the second semester, I contracted COVID-19 and was unable to work for almost half of the break period. However, the aid that this scholarship offered meant that, although I would have to dip into savings, I didn't have to take out loans.
“The scholarship also saved me from having to work almost 360 hours at my part-time on-campus job (the equivalent number of hours I would have had to have worked in order to save $5,000). Instead, I was able to spend this time focusing on my studies or volunteering around campus. I've been involved in both the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) chapter and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) chapter here at Washington State University.
I've volunteered at the local food bank and other events on campus (my favorite being the Kids in Science and Engineering Day, where we set up booths for different clubs to teach kindergarten through 5th graders about science and engineering).
“I don't think I will ever be able to fully express the gratitude I have for the scholarship committee and all the things it has done for me. I have no doubt that my college experience would have been vastly different had it not been for this opportunity.”
Funds for the Foundation-sponsored “Northshore Community Scholarship” are made up of non-solicited or targeted individual donations to the Foundation. Because of this generosity, we will be able to award three of the $5,000 grants in 2023 (one more than this year.)
Your Contribution may be sent to SFn, P O Box 1773, Woodinville, WA 98072. We are already setting aside donations for 2024. There is a PayPal donation button on our website — sf.ns.org.
Scholarship applicants are asked what “service to others” means to them. In this newsletter series we report excerpts of their responses:
Jack - My volunteer work has taught me to be grateful for what I have, and to be kind to all others. volunteered at a local church that held dinners for homeless people. Specifically, I would sit at one of the tables, and talk with the patrons throughout the evening, and would help clean up at the end of the night. These experiences have given me new perspectives on the ways that life is different for those who are behind or less fortunate.
