What the Hixson Award Means to Me

The Hixson Award has a double dip of sweetness for what it means to me. Award recipients must demonstrate financial need, having faced tough challenges, and have the potential to succeed. You can see why this award could make any proud, but it also has hidden value, the people who fund it, run it, and who you meet in it are comparable to the money.
Of course, the award has a great impact on me because of the financial security it brings me. Receiving this award was a big factor in my decision to come here. My family does not have the resources to help me out with schooling so this falls on me. I would be burdened with a lot of college debt after school, but because of this award I will not be so in debt, and so for that, I am, funnily enough, in debt to Christina for it.
As I mentioned before, the money is definitely the main focus of the scholarship, but what sets this scholarship apart is the people. The people who fund the scholarship care about us, the mentors and advisors care about us, and the other recipients care too. There is such a feeling of support that you can't find anywhere else on campus and that means the world. The advisors and mentors are always checking up on us and making sure we are succeeding to the best of our abilities. If we aren't, they offer advice and tell us ways to help improve, be it their own knowledge or referring us to a campus service that will help.

The Hixson award is a point of pride for myself. It is a great program to be involved in and it is an honor to have received the award. Its financial assistance has allowed for me to attend college without having to live with the fact that I will have thousands of dollars of debt afterwards, and that peace of mind can't be appreciated enough. So thank you, Christina and all of the Hixson advisors and mentors.