Hardworking, driven, kind, helpful, community-oriented, forward-thinking--these are just a few of the words that were used to describe the 2017 winners of The SEED Foundation Scholarship during the annual Scholarship Reception on Thursday. Seniors from both SEED DC and SEED Maryland gathered at SEED DC, where they were presented with a certificate affirming their scholarships, as well as encouragement, reflections, and well-wishes from the SEED community.
During the reflection period, both heads of school--Jon Tucker of SEED Maryland and Mecha Inman of SEED DC--described how proud they were of each student and how inspiring it had been to watch them grow over the last seven years. SEED Scholarship committee member Jay Carmel applauded the winners for their hard work and impressive scholarship applications. Donor Joe Rice shared a person anecdote about his own college experience and exhorted the SEED seniors to prioritize their studies over having fun.
But perhaps the highlight of the event were reflections from the students' parents. One parent recalled the frustration of waiting for her child to be pulled from the SEED waitlist, and how excited they were when it finally happened. Another mother still recalled her child's number in the SEED lottery--seven years after it happened. Families expressed profound gratitude for all of the opportunities SEED had provided their students over the years.
The SEED Foundation Scholarship is a $3,000 college scholarship, renewable for up to four years. Only students who attend SEED endorsed colleges are eligible to receive the scholarship. SEED students participate in a rigorous process throughout their junior year to receive the scholarship, including a written application, letters of recommendation, and in-person interview with the Scholarship committee.
We congratulate all our scholarship winners and can't wait to visit them on campus next fall!