Santiago Kelly, Filmmaker and Scholarship Winner

Interdisciplinary Connection

As a double major of Harvard University’s History & Science program and Art, Film, and Visual Studies program, rising senior Santiago Kelly is clearly committed to his studies— and he’s used Scholarships.com to earn over $50,000 to support his interdisciplinary education. Unlike his campus involvement and academic excellence, though, scholarship wins are a recent development in Kelly’s educational ventures.

Kelly was first introduced to the field of medical science in middle school. Growing up in Los Angeles, California, he went to school surrounded by exceptional medical facilities, which gave him real-world context for his studies.

“My passion for medicine has only grown since my introduction to it,” said Kelly. His access to the resources he needed to chase that passion came with exposure to all kinds of new subjects; LA is a center for art, especially cinema, and Kelly quickly fell in love with filmmaking, too.

“I’ve always found myself most driven by and passionate about finding connectivity between my sometimes seemingly opposing interests and hobbies,” he said. He enrolled at Harvard-Westlake, a selective college preparatory school, in order to do just that. Kelly co-chaired a student diversity leadership group, won an elected seat on the school’s community council, and co-directed Westflix Film Festival all while maintaining academic Honor Roll status.

“Scholarships.com played an extremely pivotal role in eliminating the time spent searching the Internet for applicable opportunities..." Kelly said.

But as he advanced through his studies, Kelly saw firsthand the disparity in access to a well-rounded education. It was a privilege to attend Harvard-Westlake and an even greater privilege to attend Harvard University, he knew; many skilled, driven students like himself didn’t have that kind of access.

“I’ve grown up constantly feeling an intrinsic desire to increase equitability for underserved youth and communities across these fields,” Kelly said. When he enrolled in college, he resigned to take on debt in order to further that goal— until he discovered Scholarships.com.

“Scholarships.com played an extremely pivotal role in eliminating the time spent searching the Internet for applicable opportunities, [which] streamlin[ed] the most tedious part of the process,” Kelly said. “...[It allowed] me to focus on the merit and structure of my applications free of the fatigue of struggling to source them.”

Through Scholarships.com, Kelly matched with the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship, a unique opportunity for rising college juniors with financial need and a passion for public service. The award, worth $50,000 towards recipients’ tuition plus a $10,000 stipend for a summer of international travel, was a perfect fit. All he had to do was apply.

Kelly was standing in a car mechanic’s parking lot when he got the news: he was an Obama-Chesky scholar. Even with such a strong academic background, the win came as a massive surprise.

“As soon as I processed the information I began running and screaming around the parking lot until I was out of breath,” he said— “an action that probably scared the employees or passersby, but was honestly one of the most refreshing emotional releases I have undergone throughout my life!”

Now a rising senior, Kelly is more involved in his educational pursuits than ever. He spent 6 months studying abroad to teach English to local youth in Madrid; back on campus at Harvard, he is co-director of the Black Arts Collective and participates in several intramural sports.

“...winning the scholarship has connected me to so many amazing industry leaders and philanthropists through the Obama Foundation," said Kelly.

In addition, the Obama-Chesky Voyager Scholarship gave Kelly the opportunity to intern as a project manager and filmographer for Arts Ignite in New York City, where he played a critical part in establishing accessible interdisciplinary education programs.

“Outside of lifting a financial burden that was one of the main stressors in my life, winning the scholarship has connected me to so many amazing industry leaders and philanthropists through the Obama Foundation,” Kelly said. “[It’s allowed] me to make connections (and hopefully continue to do so) that lead to projects, business, and services that support underserved communities.”

Overall, Kelly cites Scholarships.com as the most valuable resource in his scholarship search; he encourages students to make use of the personalized matches it offers and apply to every opportunity that suits them.

“At the expense of sounding cliché, it truly does just take finding one aligned opportunity to completely change the trajectory of your situation,” he concluded. “So, keep doing the things that you love and that make you happy– and don’t stop looking!”