High school and college graduations are upon us, signaling both an end and a beginning for many students and their families. It’s been decades since my own graduations, and the memories of transition to college and career seem so much simpler than what students face today.  In-state tuition for a four-year college program today varies across the country, from a low of less than $5000 annually in Florida to more than $15,000 in Virginia.  The Rocky Mountain states (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming) offer some of the lowest rates while New England (Connecticut, New Hampshire) have some of the highest.  Living expenses may double the annual cost of college in most locales so it is not surprising that many college applicants seek opportunities for scholarships.

Scholarship applications reveal a broad diversity of experiences, need, and hopes for the future, both realistic and idealistic.  What surprised me when reading dozens of applications during the past couple of years were the mental health and domestic violence challenges facing some students as they seek new opportunities. A teen who testified in court about the domestic abuse her father inflicted on her mother didn’t hold back when discussing the devastation on her family structure and support.  A young man wrote about being a camp counselor for at-risk kids and almost brought me to tears.  A woman discovered that using her singing voice correctly assuaged her shyness and she wants to share that discovery with others as a music teacher.  Recent immigrants seeking to use their estimable language skills, and their own experiences in a new country and culture, are focused on helping underserved communities. An older male student, a disabled veteran and father of triplets, is trying to balance family and education during trying times. Many applicants acknowledged the barriers affecting their own lives and expressed a determination to lower those barriers for others.

Student loan debt in this country is skyrocketing, and the Trump Administration’s restrictions limiting loan forgiveness eligibility ensures that student loan debt, often with a repayment term of 20 to 30 years, will be as crushing as a mortgage, and without building equity.  Additionally, the administration’s reclassification of degrees for careers with professional certifications – nursing, physical therapy, physician assistants, public health, social work – places caps on federal student loan availability.  That surreptitious effort, under the guise of saving money, will affect the careers primarily of women and people of color who have chosen those public service professions as their life’s calling.   

Selecting scholarship recipients is tough duty. Every application is worthy but, like many resources, philanthropy dollars are constrained.  For every scholarship awarded, there may be dozens of disappointed applicants who, nonetheless, will continue to pursue their dreams, perhaps reducing their course load so they can handle another part-time job to pay for tuition and support themselves and their families.  Despite those challenges, applicants were focused on the future, what they could do, not what they couldn’t, and constantly looking for the good in people and in situations rather than giving up and walking away.  Every older generation wonders about the newer, next generation, and whether they will honor sacrifice and continue the hard work of preserving democracy and maintaining respect for their community.  Based on my extensive but non-scientific review, honor and respect, fortunately, are familiar touchstones for today’s students.