Researching Sandstone Care Scholarship (Academic Enrichment): Finding Your Passion, Funding your Future (2 points)

    Over Christmas/Winter break, along with enjoying time with my family, I researched scholarships that could help me pay off some of my tuition for next semester. During this process, I managed to find a few outside scholarships that correlated to some aspect of my chosen career field. By doing this, the application process became much smoother, and the scholarship itself pushed me to expand my knowledge and put my best effort into applying.

    Over time, I had to learn that not all scholarships are for all students. There are reasons why some scholarships look for different demographics, or why some have certain limitations in their application processes. They're designed to give certain students a chance to fund their journey towards higher education, rather than leaving a certain amount of money for a broad number of students. That's how I came across the Sandstone Care Scholarship, a scholarship surrounding mental health and how students continue to pursue their education despite their challenges. With that, however, I also had to learn that just because I don't receive a certain scholarship does not mean I'm not worthy of researching, applying, and winning a different one. This is where I truly had to practice Interpretive Patience. Before I came to Spelman, everything was filtered through the "fast lane" in my mind. In other words, if something was to be completed, I had to do it right away in a short amount of time just so I could move on to the next task. Therefore, I expected results within the same allotted time I gave myself to complete those tasks. However, with my mother and grandmother's guidance, I learned that not everything is quick, fast, and in a hurry, and I won't receive every single thing that I apply for. However, in order to be patient with the process, I have to be patient with myself. That means I have to sit back, and tell myself that I did my absolute best, and I will continue to do my best with the knowledge and skills that I have now. 

    I plan to apply for this scholarship next weekend, giving myself enough time to gather my materials, document my statements, and pull together a well thought-out application that will reflect on my efforts as a student and my character as a human being.

by Caitlyn Hickman '29