Alina is a nursing major who has just been awarded the William M. Suttles Endowed Scholarship.
Why did you decide to come to Georgia State?
I heard about the competitive nursing program and I decided to come here for that. It was close to home and family and seemed like a good option for me.
I always thought I would go to Georgia Tech, but instead of pre-med I decided to do pre-nursing. I knew I wanted to go into healthcare when I was taking care of my grandmother for the past couple of years. I felt really comfortable in a hospital.
How did you find out about this scholarship?
I missed the scholarship deadlines last semester when I applied to Georgia State, so I’ve been looking at it for a while. I just like to browse around on the Georgia state website and I saw the scholarships and thought, “why not?”
What did you write your essay about?
I wrote a lot in high school so this part came pretty easily. I wrote about something close to my heart — when my grandmother was very sick, I helped to take care of her. I remember the really scary moments when something would go wrong, and I chose to begin the essay by describing the moment we had to take her to the hospital. I started off that way because I knew anyone who had been in the same place could relate. I also wrote about taking care of her and what it was like after she passed away, how she really inspired me to do everything and anything. There’s nothing specific, but my experiences with her just taught me about living every day. It was difficult for her but she seemed happy and that made me want to be happy.
Why do you think the judges connected with your essay?
My essay was very heartfelt. It was something that I didn’t just make up or write to win a scholarship. It came from my heart. At the same time, it wasn’t easy for me to write it. It was very difficult because I had to relive those moments. But because I wrote about something that I have a strong connection to, it portrayed my emotions as I wanted it to. It was like channeling my emotions to whomever would be reading my essay, and I know that the reader will get a very strong sense of who I am because of that.
What advice do you have for other students who do not think they will win?
I think, rather than thinking that they don’t have a chance to win, that they should take a risk and apply. Just be real with the essay and make it something that’s important to you.