Social anxiety has held a firm grip on my life. Fear of social settings prevented me from pursuing my childhood dream of attending college and earning a degree. To salve the pain from the relentless suffering of this disorder, I took to drinking alcohol at the age of 16. I drank and drank to simply feel normal, which eventuated in alcoholism. I have been clean and sober for five years now and am proud to say that I have overcome a great deal of my social anxiety through the constructive methods of psychotherapy and no longer self-medicate with alcohol. I am currently completing my upper-division undergraduate studies in Southern New Hampshire University's online computer science program and am well on my way to earning my bachelor's degree in computer science. I aspire to use my education in computer science to develop software to control holographic and virtual environments to simulate real-world situations that can be used to augment existing psychotherapeutic practices to the end of treating these disorders. Your scholarship will not only assist immeasurably toward the goal of realizing my educational dreams but also give rise to helping me one day help countless others who suffer from social anxiety and other such disorders. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Chad Netwig

Pursuing a computer science degree has been a life-long dream, starting when I was in the fifth grade. My elementary school had Apple IIe computers upon which I wrote my first program in Applesoft BASIC called Crazy Castle, a text-based adventure game. From then on I knew I wanted to pursue a career in software development. I believe the meaning of life is to give back to others. I have suffered from a debilitating social anxiety order that has interfered with my educational goals, among many other things, so, specifically, my life goal is to help others overcome such phobias and debilitating disorders. I aspire to do so by using my education in computer science to develop software to control holographic and virtual environments to simulate real-world situations that can be used to augment existing psychotherapeutic practices. With the rising popularity of online learning, I am proud to say that I am currently completing my upper-division coursework in Southern New Hampshire University's online computer science program and well on my way to realizing my childhood dream of earning a bachelor's degree in computer science. Your scholarship will not only assist immeasurably toward the goal of realizing my educational dreams but also give rise to helping me one day help countless others who suffer from social anxiety and other such disorders. Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Chad Netwig

To be selfish is so easy to do, especially in our culture where the sense of entitlement is ubiquitous, a trap that I did not easily escape. Very recently in my life, and regrettably far too long in coming, I realized that we are all here for a relatively short time on Earth and there are relatively few people with whom we come into contact over this short span, so it is our opportunity, and in many ways, our calling to help these people, whether it be with donating our time, charity, or lending an empathetic ear. To be generous to others, I believe, is the flip side of the pleasure paradox where we feel happier overall when we are generous to others instead of focusing on our own selfish, and often hedonistic, desires. To close, I will share an interesting story about John D. Rockefeller, widely considered the wealthiest American of all time. Middle-aged and inexplicably ailing and realizing he could not take his great fortunes with him, Mr. Rockefeller decided to donate great sums to various charities, hospitals, and scientific research to promote the well-being of humanity throughout the world, giving rise to The Rockefeller Foundation. Perhaps the most amazing part of Rockefeller’s story is that the moment he began to give back a portion of all that he had earned, his body’s chemistry was altered so significantly that he got better and lived to be 98. Though I am not wealthy like Rockefeller, I realize that the key to true happiness has nothing to do with money and everything to do with generosity. Thank you for your time and for considering me for your scholarship. Sincerely, Chad Netwig

Dear Pool Family, Being homosexual on top of suffering from paralyzing social anxiety have been colossal challenges that I have faced my entire life, not only academically through discrimination and hate, but also socially in general. However, I have made great strides in the area of accepting myself for who I am and am proud to say that I am well on my way to realizing a childhood dream of earning my bachelor's degree in computer science at Southern New Hampshire University. I aspire to use my education in computer science to develop software to control holographic and virtual environments to simulate real-world situations that can be used to augment existing psychotherapeutic practices to the end of treating social anxiety disorders and creating social settings that emulate ostracization, prejudice, hate, and other things of the nature, commonly felt by the LGBTQ+ community, in the effort to nurture growth in coping with these forces. Your scholarship will not only assist immeasurably toward the goal of realizing my educational dreams but also give rise to helping me one day help countless others who suffer from social anxiety and other such disorders. Thank you very much for your time and for considering my scholarship application. Most sincerely, Chad Netwig

Social anxiety has held a firm grip on my life. Fear of social settings prevented me from pursuing my childhood dream of attending college and earning a degree. To salve the pain from the relentless suffering of this disorder, I took to drinking alcohol at the age of 16. I drank and drank to simply feel normal, which eventuated in alcoholism. I have been clean and sober for five years now and am proud to say that I have overcome a great deal of my social anxiety through the constructive methods of psychotherapy and no longer self-medicate with alcohol. I am currently completing my upper-division in Southern New Hampshire University's online computer science program and am well on my way to earning my bachelor's degree in computer science. I aspire to use my education in computer science to develop software to control holographic and virtual environments to simulate real-world situations that can be used to augment existing psychotherapeutic practices to the end of treating these disorders. Your scholarship will not only assist immeasurably toward the goal of realizing my educational dreams but also give rise to helping me one day help countless others who suffer from social anxiety and other such disorders. Thank you for your time and consideration.

I believe the meaning of life is to give back to others. I have suffered from a debilitating social anxiety order that has interfered with my educational goals, among many other things, so, specifically, my life goal is to help others overcome such phobias and debilitating disorders. I aspire to do so by using my education in computer science to develop software to control holographic and virtual environments to simulate real-world situations that can be used to augment existing psychotherapeutic practices. With the rising popularity of online learning, I am proud to say that I am currently completing my upper-division coursework in Southern New Hampshire University's online computer science program and well on my way to realizing my childhood dream of earning a bachelor's degree in computer science. Your scholarship will not only assist immeasurably toward the goal of realizing my educational dreams but also give rise to helping me one day help countless others who suffer from social anxiety and other such disorders. Thank you very much for your time and consideration.