Applying for scholarships can feel like an overwhelming and scary task for students of all grade levels. Whether you’re just starting your scholarship journey or are in the middle of it, keep scholarship winner Zachary Ocegueda’s words in mind: “Don’t be afraid to just go for it. Believe in yourself.”
Zachary won a $250 local scholarship – the Houghton Kearney Elementary Alumni Scholarship – in the summer of 2023. Local scholarships are fantastic opportunities to win multiple, smaller scholarships for college. We asked Zachary to share his own scholarship experience with us.
Why would you recommend Going Merry to other students?
“[Going Merry] is a great place to see all different kinds of scholarships offered to you and if you don’t get that one, there are always other scholarships out there.”
Zachary’s winning essay:
Explain how this scholarship money supports your long term goals?
“Money is not something you just play around or just to buy stuff. It is about how to save your money and to be responsible with your money. I will use this money to help support my long term goal for my future college. It will help benefit my family, so they will not help pay for it. My family has done so much for me by giving a roof over my head and food on the table. It will give me strength and faith to help support me. With this money I will pursue my hopes and dreams. I will make a difference in my community and my dreams. I will be able to reach my goal because there will always be people who will tell me that I cannot do it. I want to prove them wrong by earning this scholarship. It can get me to places that I always dream of going. By using this money I can help myself in different ways. For this scholarship money it can help me in future goals. I can use it for books or school supplies. To places where it can get me where I need to be, I am glad I got to be a part of a great community of people because they taught me how to handle money wise, to be more responsible, and caring. I hope to find myself being very careful with money because I can earn a lot of trust by thinking before doing.”
