Meet this year's Pete the Planner scholarship recipient

I'm proud to announce the winner of the 2012 Pete the Planner's Plan to Succeed Scholarship. Every year one Pike High School (Indianapolis, Indiana) senior is awarded this scholarship. The scholarship goes to a first generation college student. I believe strongly in encouraging those students that are taking on an educational leadership role for their families. Although I write frequently about the escalating expense of college, college is still an important experience. And when you are the first person in your family to go to college, then your college education is even more important. It sets the tone for generations to come.

This year's winner is Sartavia Morland. She will be attending Ball State University in the fall where she will study journalism. And fortunately she will have $1000 less to worry about when she gets there due to her winning this scholarship.

What type of student does it take to impress me? Here are a few of the highlights from her application.

"I take great pride in being able to earn my own money and develop work experience early. On weekends and vacations I am a volunteer for the Indianapolis Reading and Informational Services Radio Station. I record myself reading and the stories are played for the blind and print impaired listeners for the station. I plan to study Journalism in the future and the radio experience is great, but I most enjoy being able to use my skills and do something that I enjoy to help others."

"Being the first in my family to go to college will make me feel successful, but it will also be kind of bittersweet. My mother would have been more than capable of succeeding in a 4-year University if she would have had the opportunity to do so. We were visiting Ball State one day and you could see the nostalgia in her face when she though no one was looking, but she made sure to express to me how proud she was that I was almost there. She was happy for me because I knew what I wanted to do and I was capable of grasping it. I would love more than anything to help her go to college once I graduate. In the end, being the first to go to college in my family is exciting. I have all of the love and emotional support in the world because my family is excited to see me succeed. Going to college will be a positive experience not only for me, but for my entire family to know that they all helped raise me successfully."

Congrats to Sartavia. If she has the sort of attitude that she expresses in her writing, then I have no doubt that she will be a valuable member of her community. In fact, it seems like she already is.