May 2016
Funding college just got a whole lot easier for Robbinsdale Armstrong High School senior Ella Halverson, who has been awarded a scholarship that aims to help students graduate without debt.
The Catch A Break! Scholarship rewards middle- to lower-income students in Minnesota who have demonstrated resilience in the face of personal hardship. Currently in its third year, the scholarship offers students $10,000 a year for four years.
Halverson was one of three students chosen from a pool of 36 qualified applicants. She was thrilled when she found out she had won, she said.
“I couldn’t believe it. I immediately called my mom and she started to cry. We were so excited,” she said. “I knew it was going to open up a lot of opportunities for me. It will help me not only with things at school, but will also help me make connections beyond the school. It’s more than just money.”
Halverson is attending the University of Minnesota this year, where she plans to major in biology with a possible minor in computer science. She said she heard about the scholarship, administered through Scholarship America, from counselors at her school’s guidance office.
“It’s pretty incredible, because for a while I didn’t even know if I could afford to go to the University of Minnesota. It can cost about $25,000 a year, so this really helps out a lot,” she said.
The Catch A Break! Scholarship is aimed at high-achieving students who have overcome personal challenges, and who may be at a financial disadvantage when it comes to funding college, said Dr. Holly Johnson, head of the scholarship’s selection committee.
“We’re looking for scholars who have learned from their experiences to evolve, who have shown resilience in successfully facing challenges in their lives,” she said. “If you look at resilience research, people who have overcome difficulties in their lives are more likely to handle adversity well later in life, and are more likely to make a mark on the world.”
The founders of the scholarship are a married couple who were given opportunities early in life and who now want to pay it forward, Johnson said. Through personal experience, they know high-potential people can make a tremendous difference in the world.
“But if kids graduate from college with even $30,000 in debt, it narrows their choices and holds them back that much longer in life,” she said. “We want to find those who need financial support and help them catch a break so they can achieve the knowledge and skills they need without being hampered by debt.”
To qualify, students must have an ACT score of 24 or above. If chosen for the scholarship, recipients must attend a public university in Minnesota, live in the dorms their freshman year, and not have a job during their freshman year. Scholarship committee members meet with students each semester to check in and review goals.