Seniors AVID students Yamileth Pacheco and Mariana Ortiz-Tovar were delighted to find out they were recipients of the prestigious Dell Scholarship earlier this week.
The Dell Scholarships gives recipients $20,000 and a brand new laptop.
For these students receiving the scholarship is a huge accomplishment, and a huge payoff to years of hard work.
Ortiz-Tovar found out about her big win Sunday night. “I found out late at night. I was stressing about my test, and I stayed up to study. I found out and I was so excited. My heart was racing and I was shaking. I’ve been buying myself more things, I’ve been rewarding myself lately,” stated Ortiz-Tovar. “I’m so relieved that I have something in the bag for college. Now I have to search for more scholarships to complete.”
Ortiz-Tovar may have the money, but she has not decided on what college she will go to yet. This also isn’t the first scholarship she has been awarded. She has also gotten the AVID Legacy scholarship, Hispanic Women of Weld County, and various smaller scholarships. She has been working hard on scholarships all year long.
Pacheco was also blindsided by the important news and was excited to share it with social studies teacher Ms. Izbeth Pacheco, who also happens to be her sister. “I hadn’t checked my email, and I was sitting in class and I skimmed over the email and I couldn’t believe it. I read it and I went straight to my sister’s room and we read it together, and we started crying. It has always been a dream for me to go to college, and for this to happen is surreal,” stated Pacheco. “I’ve always been set on CSU since I was little, and now this will help me be able to go. This helps me see my future more confidently.”
Both recipients encourage everyone to apply for as many scholarships as possible. They recommend having a person proofread every essay and always giving yourself enough time to complete the applications. Go for it and believe in yourself.
