Niche College Scholarship
Updated: June 26, 2023

2009 Winners

$1,000 Scholarships.com Engineering Scholarship Award Winner

Andrew M.
Lutz, FL

Andrew is a High School Senior attending Freedom High School in Tampa, Florida. He plans to graduate in June 2010 and attend the University of Florida. Among other school he has applied to include University of South Florida, Georgia Tech, Tulane University, Cornell University, and Rice University. Andrew plans to major in Mechanical Engineering. Outside of the classroom, Andrew is involved in his school’s Marching Band, where he serves as drum captain. He also leads Beta Club as president, and is involved in many community service projects.

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"There are plenty of scholarship search websites on the internet, but I have had the most success with scholarships.com. Your website has a clear and concise layout and is easy to use. When hunting for much needed college money, scholarships.com is my first choice!"

- Andrew

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$1,000 Scholarships.com Culinary Arts Scholarship Award Winner

Briana G.
Fort Collins, CO

Briana is a Food Science/Dietetics major at Colorado State University. She hopes to use her knowledge to help the American population with the obesity epidemic. In the meanwhile, she is enjoying school and living in Colorado.There aren't a whole lot of places that make you want to be outdoors all the time. Biking, camping, hiking, snowboarding, white water rafting... the recreational possibilites are endless.

"My gratitude goes to Scholarships.com for helping me on the financial end so I can thrive in this wonderful place. It is marvelous to have some financial support while paying my own way through college. Their website has been very easy to use and the scholarship opportunities are almost overwhelming. Thank you Scholarships.com for helping me get one step closer to my degree."

- Briana

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$1,000 Scholarships.com Computer Science Scholarship Award Winner

Cassandra P.
Phoenix, AZ

Cassandra is a Gaming and Simulations [Computer] Programmer currently attending DeVry University. She programs software for games and recently got an independent license to make her own. Her goal in the near future is to start her own game/simulation company.

"Women are underrepresented in the gaming world, especially since there are more female gamers than adolescent male gamers. Ladies, do not give up on your dreams!! You can do whatever you want in life. Do not let money hold you back. The first scholarship I applied to at Scholarships.com I received. If I was more on the ball, I would not have even had to take out student loans. Do not let anyone or anything limit your potential. Embrace the people who encourage you because they know how fantastic you really are. I got where I am today because of the undying support of my fiancé, my mother and myself. You can do it. Always rock it out!"

- Cassandra

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$1,000 Scholarships.com Design Scholarship Award Winner

Cheuk C.
Oakland, CA

Cheuk is in her third year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo where she is majoring in architecture.

"I definitely feel excited that I have been chosen as the winner of the $1000 Scholarships.com College Design Scholarship when I received the email from Scholarships.com!

I found Scholarships.com as a great site that enables to fulfill both my academic goals and other interests. While I am majoring in Architecture, I began to search for different opportunities in order to learn and experience in the design world. Eventually, one of my approaches is applying for various scholarships to improve my writing skills and introduce my major and its significant meaning in my life.

During my early years in college, scholarships appear to be a difficult process for me because it deals with a lot of writing and it is too competitive to win the award out of the other honor students. By receiving this award, I become confident in other things that I used to be afraid to do. It encourages me to take a step closer to try participating in other opportunities such as internships and community services. Since it had so much impact on me, I think Scholarships.com is the first scholarship site that I relied on and I feel grateful to be given an opportunity for more confidence in myself. Thank you, Scholarships.com!"

- Cheuk

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$1,000 Scholarships.com Business Scholarship Award Winner

Deisha P.
Molokai, HI

Deisha will be attending Kapiolani Community College in the fall to study business.

"A friend recommended scholarships.com. I was a bit hesitant at first thinking my chances of winning would be like one in a millon...To my surprise I actually won something. Who would have thought this would be possible, coming from a small town in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. All minorities like myself are encouraged to apply. This free service works."

- Deisha

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$1,000 Scholarships.com Art Scholarship Award Winner

Julia D.
Concord, NH

From a very young age, Julia has loved theatre. She auditioned for her first community production at the age of seven. She has been in several community and professional productions and recently earned a nomination for Best Female Actress in a Drama/Comedy by the New Hampshire Theatre Awards for 2009. When she's not doing theatre, Julia stays active with school activities like the varsity track and field team, the spanish club and student government. In the fall, Julia will be attending Tulane University to further her career in theatre.

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$1,000 Scholarships.com English Scholarship Award Winner

Marilyn D.
Aurora, CO

Marilyn is a Korean adoptee and an aspiring author. She has always depended on the arts as a means of emotional expression and she is happiest when painting, playing the flute, or drafting stories. She is currently studying at the University of Denver.

"I was interested in pursuing a career in writing after I graduated from high school, but I was concerned about the cost of getting an English degree. I attended community college for a few years in hopes that I could cut down on some of the expenses. After I received my Associate of Arts, I transferred to a university and began to explore my options for financial aid. I was thrilled to discover Scholarships.com! It has been an invaluable resource for me. In addition to providing me with detailed information that recognizes my financial circumstances, it has unearthed a wealth of opportunities that are relevant to my interests and aspirations. Most importantly, the gift of possibility is a priceless motivator—one that Scholarships.com offers that in profusion."

- Marilyn

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$1,000 Scholarships.com Science Scholarship Award Winner

Kriti G.
Fremont, CA

Kriti plans to pursue her passion for science at the the University of California, San Diego. She shares a passion for running and has been a cross country and track runner all four years of high school. Kriti also enjoys Harry Potter and Bollywood movies.

"I'm glad to be given the opportunity to write about something I didn't see coming. I do see it clearly now: that science is my best subject, and it has become a class I look forward to every day. I know that when I attend college, that will not change. Paying for college, however, is not an easy task. I would like to thank Scholarships.com for offering me such a wonderfully easy way to earn free college money, and for taking me one step closer to my goal!"

- Kriti

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$1,000 Scholarships.com Technology Scholarship Award Winner

Robert D.
Omaha, NE

Robert was born profoundly deaf. He enjoys history, architecture, reading, writing, and a myriad of other subjects. This drove him to participate in the Academic Decathlon throughout the latter half of his high school career. In his senior year, he was the Top Scorer Overall at the Nebraska state finals and his team took 3rd at the Academic Decathlon National Finals. In the fall, he will attend Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, and he is thinking about majoring in computer science, architecture, or maybe even graphics design.

"I loved Scholarships.com because even though I was so busy my senior year with school activities, email notifications from Scholarships.com helped me stay on track. I have to say it was the most useful tool in helping me pay for my college education because I did not have to undergo the laborious process of searching for scholarships: they were all connected to me via this excellent service."

- Robert

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$1,000 Scholarships.com Education Scholarship Award Winner

Samantha P.
Akwesasne, NY

Samantha is a junior attending the State University of New York at Potsdam. She grew up in Akwesasne, NY, a Mohawk reservation that borders the United State and Canada. She was always actively involved with sports. She played ice hockey on local teams and later participated in the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in Canada and the New York State Empire Games. She was part of the National Honor Society, president of the Health Club, president of the Salmon River High School Chorus, and a member of the Keystone Club. Samantha Samantha was presented with a number of awards her senior year of high school including the Citizen’s Award and the New York State Comptroller Award. Her Mohawk name is Kaniharos (Ga-nee-ha-lohs) and is of the Turtle Clan of the Mohawks.

"Scholarships.com has opened me up to numerous scholarship opportunities that I would never have found without their help. The personalized scholarship choices are amazing and they give you so many options to choose from. They also give you the chance to see other scholarship opportunities that you might have previously overlooked. Scholarships.com really is an amazing website that has its users in mind."

- Samantha

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$1,000 Scholarships.com Health Scholarship Award Winner

Susannah E.
Columbus, OH

Susannah plans to attend College of Wooster and major in biomedical engineering. She would also like to continue studying French and spend a semester studying in France. She is an active member of school and, in her spare time, enjoys playing the piano and reading, both of which she usually does with her two pet cockatiels sitting on her shoulders.

"Scholarships.com has definitely been the best scholarship website I’ve used. It is organized extremely well, making the daunting prospect of looking for scholarships much less intimidating. Also, this site seems to draw on a huge pool of resources for listing scholarships, which gives users plenty of opportunities to find the right scholarships for them."

- Susannah

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$1,000 Scholarships.com History Scholarship Award Winner

Vivian N.
Austin, TX

Vivian plans to attend the University of Texas at San Antonio and major in history. She plans on transferring into UT at Austin sophomore year and eventually go on to pursue a doctorate. Her goal is to go into social services and help people in other communities around the world. She enjoy reading, drawing, and listening to music.

"My parents were afraid that pursuing a history major would be expensive and leave me jobless. I listened to them and struggled on choosing something else. For a few months, long after I had told everyone about my decision to become a nurse, I kept struggling to find something better. When I saw that I had won this scholarship, I realized that I never needed to find a new major afterall. No one becomes a history major for the money anyways. Thanks Scholarships.com."

- Vivian

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$1,000 Scholarships.com Law Scholarship Award Winner

Zachary M.
St. Anthony, MN

Zachary is a junior at the University of Wisconsin. He is majoring in Philosophy and Pre-law, as well as pursuing a minor in Political Science. With a busy school schedule, he still finds time to be the president of the Pre-Law association and work part-time on campus.

"I'm certainly glad I found Scholarships.com. The service is very easy to use, which means I had no problems finding scholarships that fit me and my interests and needs."

- Zachary

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