Kelvin Sanchez, Engineer and Scholarship Winner

Aim for the Stars

Kelvin Sanchez is a busy person; as a computer science student at the University of Houston, an intern at Amazon, and a recipient of over $200,000 in scholarships, he has a lot on his mind as of late. Even so, the day he won the Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship— and every detail leading up to it, from his dedicated senior year search with Scholarships.com to his earliest experiences studying technology— remains in his memory, bright as the pixels on a brand-new screen.

Sanchez had been interested in technology his entire life, but it wasn’t until middle school that he had the chance to study it. Neither of his parents had the opportunity to go to college, and with 5 other children in tow, the household couldn’t afford the resources to support Sanchez’s interest in computer science. When he entered 8th grade, though, the perfect opportunity arose: a newly-offered introductory robotics course taught by former nuclear engineer Dan Blevins.

“He told us to come up with solutions that we could actually implement in our everyday lives,” Sanchez said of his first project in Blevins’s class. He and his classmates brainstormed about real-world problems they could ease with their basic computer science skills. Tropical Storm Imelda had just struck Sanchez’s hometown of Houston, Texas causing catastrophic damage to the city’s infrastructure— so he and his team created a device that used ultrasound technology to measure the depth of water on flooded roads.

“It wasn’t really about trying to get a good grade, because [Mr. Blevins] never focused on that,” he explained. “He just wanted us to figure out what the problem was and then find the solution to it.”

That kind of practical computer science clicked with Sanchez; he knew it was what he wanted to do for a career. But when he began high school, he realized that his family’s financial situation would make a career in engineering difficult to attain.

“Scholarships.com always came in clutch, because I’d get the emails and text messages when a scholarship was due,” said Sanchez.

“I remember my parents telling me, ‘Listen, we can’t pay for your college,’” said Sanchez. “They wanted to be very truthful about it. [They said,] ‘We’ll support you in whatever you do, but just know that we can’t help you with that.’”

So Sanchez took it upon himself to make it happen. He got involved in all kinds of extracurricular activities at his college preparatory high school; from participating in competitions with the FIRST Tech Challenge Robotics club to working as an intern for petroleum company Williams through the Genesys Works program, Sanchez did all he could to gather real-world engineering experience before his high school graduation. In September of his senior year, he started to look for more direct ways to fund his undergraduate studies.

“The first thing I searched on Google was ‘scholarship.’ And the first thing that came up was Scholarships.com,” he said.

Scholarships.com matched Sanchez with scholarships he was eligible for based on his demographics, academics, and life circumstances. In addition to competitive scholarships with huge applicant pools, he was matched with smaller, niche awards that perfectly suited his particular situation.

“Even if it was a $50 scholarship, I would still apply for it,” said Sanchez. “Any money counts in the long term.”

As the months ticked by, Sanchez applied to more and more scholarships, the prestigious Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship among them. When his final semester of high school began, he’d only heard back from one provider about a win, so he continued to search and apply for new awards.

“Scholarships.com always came in clutch, because I’d get the emails and text messages when a scholarship was due,” he added. He didn’t give up hope even as graduation crept closer without word from any more scholarship organizations; springtime was in full swing, and Sanchez was still surfing Scholarships.com for new opportunities. Then, one April day, everything changed.

“It was early in the morning,” he recalled. “An announcement came through the speakers that I had to report to the front office. So in my head, I’m thinking, ‘What did I do?’”

Unsure of what to expect, Sanchez made his way to the front office. “The majority of the school was there. I thought there was a presentation or something, and I just had to be there because it was mandatory,” he said.

“My counselor said there was a surprise for me, and then one of my friends gave me an Amazon box… ‘Why is there an Amazon box?’” Sanchez remembered thinking. “‘Is this merch for my club?’”

“I opened the box and I saw a water bottle… and then I spun it, and I saw the Amazon Future Engineer logo,” he said. “I was mindblown; I just stared at it because I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. And that’s when they blew confetti cannons, and everybody started cheering, and then cameras started rolling.”

“I want to encourage people to use Scholarships.com, because it was very helpful for me,” Sanchez said.

As an Amazon Future Engineer Scholar, Sanchez had won $40,000 towards his undergraduate tuition, plus a paid internship opportunity for the next summer and a community of computer scientists to network with throughout his college career. A whole new world had opened up for him— and it kept opening up as more and more acceptances came in, from big and small scholarships alike. With the help of Scholarships.com, Sanchez’s entire tuition was covered.

Now a rising sophomore at the University of Houston, Sanchez continues to chase his dream of becoming a computer scientist. His scholarship awards haven’t solved every problem— his freshman year was particularly difficult, full of challenging classes and personal circumstances that complicated his studies— but the money he’s earned has taken the heavy burden of debt off his shoulders, allowing him to devote himself to building a solid community at college rather than working full-time.

Along with the encouragement from his network, his personal faith and perseverance, and the support of the scholarship providers who believe in him, Sanchez credits Scholarships.com with his success.

“I want to encourage people to use Scholarships.com, because it was very helpful for me,” he concluded. “Nothing’s guaranteed, but always aim for the stars. You never know how high you might reach.”

Views expressed in this article do not reflect those of Amazon or the Future Engineer Scholars program. Sign up for your personalized scholarship matches today at Scholarships.com.