$100,000 and Counting

“Why apply? I won't get it. There's too many people applying for it.” “This process is too time consuming. The scholarship is only $250. It’s not like it’s $2,500.” STOP! How many times have you whispered these thoughts to yourself? There are many reasons you can give as to why you shouldn’t apply for scholarships. However, many opportunities are lost because students automatically assume they won’t receive any money. Defeat – or VICTORY – begins in the mind! This is the absolute first step in accessing that free college money: Develop a winner’s mindset. You CAN win scholarships. Know that you will receive. Know that it is possible for you to win a $1,000 scholarship, or even a $100,000 scholarship. And how do you do that? By faith. Hebrews 11:1 says: “Now faith is the assurance of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.” You may not see it, but you know it is there. I began my freshman year of college with neither a full-ride scholarship nor multiple scholarships to cover my tuition. However, I somehow KNEW that I would walk away with my tuition fully paid for prior to graduation. I prayed that God would provide scholarships for me. I proclaimed it. I spoke life to it. It was my faith that opened the door for me to receive abundantly, and it will be the same for you. The Word says, “Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance [“perseverance” in other versions]” (James 1:2-3). Do not be consumed by the trials you are experiencing in trying to obtain scholarship money. It’s just a test. Having faith that God will provide this for you will build up your perseverance and patience. It will strengthen your endurance to seek out scholarships and it will lead you to the right resources. Subsequently, the strengthening of your faith will produce an overwhelming confidence in you that you didn’t know you possessed. In time you will begin to have an assurance that, without a shadow of doubt, God will provide. When you are walking in obedience by listening to Him and following His commands, and you are in line with His will, all you’ll have to do is wait silently on Him in expectation. Pray for what you desire, have faith, and it shall be done. I’d like to share a story. Three months before my college graduation, I won a $7,500 scholarship. I was ecstatic because this would cover all but about $900 that I still owed to Hampton University. The two years prior had proved to be the hardest I ever worked in my educational career and all I wanted to do was graduate on time and with minimal debt. Not too long after receiving news of the scholarship, however, I was sent an email from the scholarship committee stating that because I was a graduate student, the scholarship would be rescinded. Talk about being angry and hurt! Not once on the scholarship application was a classification requirement listed. In fact, the classification requirement was listed as “Open” and this particular scholarship organization provided numerous awards for both undergraduate and graduate students, so I initially did not see my graduate status as a problem. I even found the same scholarship listed on two other websites. Both sites also showed that there was no specific classification requirement. I presented these facts to the organization. I argued my case as best as I could, but I got nowhere. The scholarship was taken back. I remember releasing my frustrations to my Mom. I told her how unfair it was. Seventy-five hundred dollars is by no means a small amount of money to be “playing with”, especially with graduation quickly approaching. But after I let it all go, I calmly, yet boldly, told my Mom, “It’s okay. God will provide another $7,500 scholarship− in that exact amount.” She looked at me a bit perplexed, but I knew He would because this situation was not a coincidence; it was God’s hand at work. I already knew before I won the scholarship that He would provide for my financial needs, and my mindset did not change when the scholarship was revoked. I merely had to look back over the past four years to see how time and time again, God provided scholarship dollars for me− many times at the last minute. I saw firsthand that He may not have been early, but He was never late. If God had already promised this to me, then what I was dealing with was only a test of my faith. I was overwhelmed with a confidence I could not explain, and an expectation of Him to provide. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence indeed is the LORD. He will be like a tree planted by water: it sends its root out toward a stream, it doesn’t fear when heat comes, and its foliage remains green. It will not worry in a year of drought or cease producing fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8) You’ll come to find that because you trust Him, His favor will be on your life. He will reward you for putting your faith in Him. I was confident the $7,500 would be supplied in time. Shortly thereafter, I received an email stating that the director of that organization was able to secure a $5,000 scholarship for me in lieu of the previous one! She stated that she would also try to access the other $2,500 for me. For two weeks I pleaded with God, “God, You said You would provide. I know this is what You have for me but God, where is this other $2,500 going to come from? I have less than one month until graduation.” With 11 days to go until graduation, I got the email I had been waiting for. Not only had the director found another $2,500 for me, but she also stated that the check was already being processed and she would call me once it cleared. What do you say to that?! Is God amazing or what? Imagine if I had doubted. Imagine if the testing of my faith in earlier years had not produced perseverance and expectation. Surely this would not be my testimony now. It is your faith that God wants to see. I once heard someone say, “God is not moved by your self-pity; He is moved by your faith.” He wants to know that even in the midst of your struggles, even in the midnight hour, you will trust Him wholeheartedly and expectantly to do just what He promised. With God, know that you can stop struggling, resisting, and coercing for what you want. Simply do as He instructs, keep your focus and praise on Him, and wait expectantly. He will pull through for you. Scholarship money is given away everywhere from churches to community organizations to your parents' employers. Millions of scholarships dollars are available for anyone willing to pursue these opportunities, especially those who are of a minority background or come from low-income households. Even if you already have a scholarship that fully covers your college tuition and/or room and board, you can still obtain additional scholarships that will pay for your textbooks, supplies, and miscellaneous expenses. According to the College Board's “Trends in College Pricing,” the 2011-2012 average total cost of tuition, fees, room and board at: •An in-state public institution was $17,131 or $68,524 total for four years •A public, out-of-state institution was $29,657 or $118,628 total for four years •A private, nonprofit institution was $38,589 or $154,356 total for four years The report assumes an additional $4,296 yearly for textbooks, supplies, transportation and other expenses. Because of this, it is important that you understand how to attain as much scholarship money as you can. Do not doubt your ability to receive scholarships but, rather, believe that the effort and diligence you put into applying for them will pay off. You can’t receive what you don’t apply for. Have faith that you won’t simply receive one scholarship, but that you’ll receive many! “I always go into a race understanding that, yes, I can lose, but I can also win. One of my philosophies is ‘if somebody has to win, why not me?’” -Mark Crear, two-time Olympic medalist