As a first-generation college student, I did not know what to expect financially from colleges and universities. To my family and I's surprise, higher education was significantly higher than we had initially thought. Suddenly, my college fund would not be nearly enough to attend all four years, and the stress began to sink in. The most helpful advice I heard in this newfound financial stress was the importance of hard work in and out of school to receive scholarships and income. My high school counselor said to give it my all, and through that hard work, support would be a byproduct. I did my best to be receptive to this and do the most I could before starting the new and exciting journey that is college. Over the summer, I got a job and was fortunate enough to have saved over $5,000 to go towards tuition. I put in the time and effort to search the internet far and wide for scholarships in my free time. I also got ahead of my coursework and am currently on track to graduating early. On top of this, I was blessed to be qualified for and receive a merit scholarship from my university. This led me to Bold.org. Applying to scholarships like this is part of my personal growth and persistence to better myself to contribute to society. Hard work and perseverance go a long way in taking off some of the financial burdens of paying for higher education and being someone that I am proud of.