By Casper Nelson —
O’NEALS — As the countdown continued toward graduation, Minarets seniors were graciously awarded $135,650 in scholarships during Senior Scholarship Night last month. 36 recipients earned scholarships from organizations in our local community. It was night filled with glee as each senior was awarded and recognized for hard work over their high school career by receiving financial support for pursuing higher education.
“Senior Scholarship Night happens every year at Minarets High School,” explains head of charter Patrick Wilson. “It’s around twenty to thirty agencies in the area that provide scholarships to our seniors. There’s a thorough application process and there’s a lot of voting. This will be the biggest year yet in terms of dollar amounts and the number of awards.”
This celebratory event was established in 2012 by teacher Therese Righter and counselor Claudia Vandenbergh. Righter estimates that, over the last seven years, half a million dollars have been raised for Minarets seniors.
Sophia Mendosa, a recipient of eleven scholarships, gives an inside perspective of the event and the deadlines that lead up to it.
“It took a lot of my time to write the essays and fill out all of the paperwork for these scholarships,” explains Mendosa. “I took my time and made sure to make my essays sound as good as possible and make a nice-looking resume.”
She has recommendation for upcoming seniors.
“Make sure that you don’t procrastinate on it because you will regret it. Really take your time on applying and apply for as many as you can, because you never know which ones you’ll win.”
To current seniors who are graduating, congratulations on your achievements and awards after your time spent learning and persevering. This scholarship event will continue on into the future and help to produce more confident Mustangs that are ready to step into the unknown and conquer it.
Good luck fellow Mustangs and future innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs!
Casper Nelson is a student at Minarets
