Freshman Proves to Be Scholarship Savvy

Freshman proves to be scholarship savvy

Two years ago Shayla Price was pretty much sitting in the same boat as most of her high school peers. She knew college was a ticket to a good paying job and a world of opportunity, but she was keenly aware that neither she nor her parents were in a financial position to pay for her education.

Today, however, as a Xavier freshman, Shayla is sitting pretty – the proud recipient of more than $100,000 in scholarship money.

Those scholarships didn’t just fall into her lap, however. Upset and stressed about her financial situation, she took the initiative and started looking for ways to pay for college. In the end it took lots of time, a well-thought out plan and single-minded determination.

Shayla, then just a junior at Thibodeaux High School (La.), began her search for money on the internet. She went to every free scholarship search engine available – spending four to five hours a day looking for scholarships that applied to her. Even though it absorbed much of her free time, she dedicated herself to scanning through hundreds of websites.

”It became a part-time job for me,” she said. “After school, I would do my homework, then search for money on the internet until I was sleepy. The next day I would do it all over again – I knew my work was going to pay off in the future.”

When she had found almost all the scholarships she could apply for, she sorted them out by deadlines. This gave her an idea of how to prioritize her deadlines.

“Some applications were easy, while others involved long tedious forms,” she said. But no matter the amount – which ranged from $100 to $40,000 – she took each scholarship seriously. All of them were going to fund her goal of attending college.

Shayla said the hardest part of the process was writing essays. Almost every scholarship application required an essay about her extracurricular activities, commitment to education and career aspirations.

“Every time I wrote an essay, I saved it on my computer and kept it for later,” she said. “To perfect my writing, I asked several friends, relatives and teachers to read my work. They all gave me advice about what to include and what to leave out.”

Things didn’t come about overnight; in fact, Shayla said it took more than a year to land that first scholarship. At times it was discouraging, but once she received that first award, the others seemed to follow quickly. The largest scholarship she received is worth $6000 a year.

She continued searching for money and writing essays for about two years. To date, she has won about 80 percent of all the scholarships she applied for. With the scholarship funds she has received she said she will be able to attend college for free – no expenses whatsoever.

“I feel that a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders,” she said.

According to Shayla, the scholarship search has made her a better individual – helping her to learn the importance of setting a goal and accomplishing it. Even the rejection letters made her a stronger person.

Scholarships in hand and buoyed with her new-found self-confidence, the only remaining decision to where to attend college.

“Xavier was a natural selection for me, being Black and Catholic,” said the freshman business major. “I had some other options, but this is really where I have always wanted to be.”

Shayla gives a first-person account of her story in the September/October issue of The Next Step Magazine.


Xavier Freshman Proves To Be Scholarship Savvy

Two years ago Shayla Price was pretty much sitting in the same boat as most of her high school peers. She knew college was a ticket to a good paying job and a world of opportunity, but she was keenly aware that neither she nor her parents were in a financial position to pay for her education.

Today, however, as a freshman at Xavier University of Louisiana, Shayla is sitting pretty – the proud recipient of more than $100,000 in scholarship money.

Those scholarships didn’t just fall into her lap, however. Upset and stressed about her financial situation, she took the initiative and started looking for ways to pay for college. In the end it took lots of time, a well-thought out plan and single-minded determination.

Shayla, then just a junior at Thibodeaux High School (La.), began her search for money on the internet. She went to every free scholarship search engine available – spending four to five hours a day looking for scholarships that applied to her. Even though it absorbed much of her free time, she dedicated herself to scanning through hundreds of websites.

”It became a part-time job for me,” she said. “After school, I would do my homework, then search for money on the internet until I was sleepy. The next day I would do it all over again – I knew my work was going to pay off in the future.”

When she had found almost all the scholarships she could apply for, she sorted them out by deadlines. This gave her an idea of how to prioritize her deadlines.

“Some applications were easy, while others involved long tedious forms,” she said. But no matter the amount – which ranged from $100 to $40,000 – she took each scholarship seriously. All of them were going to fund her goal of attending college.

Shayla said the hardest part of the process was writing essays. Almost every scholarship application required an essay about her extracurricular activities, commitment to education and career aspirations.

“Every time I wrote an essay, I saved it on my computer and kept it for later,” she said. “To perfect my writing, I asked several friends, relatives and teachers to read my work. They all gave me advice about what to include and what to leave out.”

Things didn’t come about overnight; in fact, Shayla said it took more than a year to land that first scholarship. At times it was discouraging, but once she received that first award, the others seemed to follow quickly. The largest scholarship she received is worth $6000 a year.

She continued searching for money and writing essays for about two years. To date, she has won about 80 percent of all the scholarships she applied for. With the scholarship funds she has received she said she will be able to attend college for free – no expenses whatsoever.

“I feel that a huge burden has been lifted off my shoulders,” she said.

According to Shayla, the scholarship search has made her a better individual – helping her to learn the importance of setting a goal and accomplishing it. Even the rejection letters made her a stronger person.

Scholarships in hand and buoyed with her new-found self-confidence, the only remaining decision to where to attend college.

“Xavier was a natural selection for me, being Black and Catholic,” said the freshman business major. “I had some other options, but this is really where I have always wanted to be.”

Shayla gives a first-person account of her story in the September/October issue of The Next Step Magazine.

###