What a Community Foundation Scholarship Means

Success doesn’t always come in a straight line. For Vivian Cao-Dao, her senior year of high school was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. She told the Community Foundation that she was motivated to apply by a communicative school administration, and her guidance counselors. She said, “filling out these applications is kind of like exercising. It’s hard to do, but you know it’s important, and it feels so rewarding when you get it done.”

The Community Foundation has been proud to offer scholarships to students as a part of our programming for many years. Last year alone, we awarded more than a half million dollars in scholarships. As the cost of education increases, these funds become a critical need for aspiring students, many of whom are tasked with the burden of funding their education, and making two to three decade financial plans at 16, 17, 18 years of age. With the Elizabeth Koury scholarship’s multi-year award, Vivian was able to fund her neuroscience studies at UVA. She’ll take a gap year before going on to medical school.

Finances were another thing Vivian and I discussed. She recommended that high schoolers looking to apply for scholarships should “embrace the uncertainty,” seeing it as an opportunity to choose one’s own adventure. She also recommended that people fill out applications together, even if they’re not applying for the same thing, because the real-time accountability and solidarity can make a huge difference. Embracing those challenges as a high schooler can be a great way to prepare for college studies. Vivian also suggested that applicants re-tool essays they’ve already written. Of course, not just copy and pasting, but rewriting and readjusting what they’ve already written for school applications, or for letters of recommendation to re-tool the breadth of their experiences in different ways. Likewise, this is an effective practice in universal problem solving skills, which will be useful regardless of what someone may eventually study.

Before we wrapped up, Vivian gave a couple more pieces of advice, which everyone at the Community Foundation can endorse. “For young students, the world truly is theirs for the taking. All the new opportunities and challenges can be overwhelming, but it’s important to ground yourself, and be grateful for all victories, large and small. Always check in, and be kind to yourself.”

To learn more about the scholarships process at CFNOVA, visit the scholarships page.

If you feel motivated to donate to the scholarships program, you may do so here.