Let me be honest with you before we go any further.
I got rejected. A lot.
John Cook Scholarship — rejected. QuestBridge — rejected. Burger King Scholars Program — rejected. There were moments where I submitted an application, poured everything I had into it, and heard nothing back. Or worse — got a letter telling me no.
And I am from Greensboro, Alabama. A small town that most people have never heard of, attending a school with fewer resources than most. There was no college counselor walking me through every step. No one handing me a list of scholarships and telling me exactly what to write. I had to figure a lot of it out on my own.
But here is what I know now that I did not fully understand then — a rejection is only a redirection.
Because at the end of it all, I was selected as a Gates Scholar. And by the time I finished the process, I had accumulated over $2.1 million in scholarships. Most of that came from the schools themselves — universities that looked at my application and decided I was worth investing in.
So how did I do it? Let me tell you exactly what I believe made the difference.
Make the Most of What You Have
I could not change where I was from. I could not change the resources my school had — or did not have. What I could control was what I did with every opportunity that came my way.
I stayed on the honor roll. I joined SGA, Boy Scouts, and Peer Helpers. I said yes to things that pushed me outside of my comfort zone. I became a member of the A+ Student VOICES Team, where I helped craft a student advocacy survey and presented our findings to legislators at the Alabama State House.
None of those things happened because someone handed them to me. I showed up, stayed consistent, and made the most of what was available to me.
When it came time to write my applications, I had a real story to tell. And that story was rooted in where I came from — not in spite of it.
Your Story is Your Superpower
A lot of students make the mistake of writing scholarship essays that sound like everyone else’s. They talk about wanting to make a difference. They list their accomplishments. They write what they think the committee wants to hear.
What actually wins is specificity. What actually wins is truth.
When I wrote my applications, I did not try to hide the fact that I came from a small rural town with limited opportunities. I leaned into it. Because that context — growing up in Greensboro, working with what I had, choosing to show up every single day — that is what made my story different from every other applicant in the pile.
Your background is not a weakness. It is your angle. Use it.
Apply for Everything — Rejection is Redirection
Here is advice I wish someone had given me early on: apply for everything you are remotely eligible for. Local scholarships, national scholarships, school based scholarships, essay contests — all of it.
Yes, you will get rejected. I did. Multiple times, from scholarships I really wanted. And every rejection stings a little.
But every rejection also taught me something. It sharpened my essays. It forced me to think harder about how I was presenting myself. It built the resilience that eventually helped me write the application that earned me the Gates Scholarship.
You cannot win what you do not apply for. And every no you receive is moving you closer to the yes that is meant for you.
Focus on the Schools Themselves
This is something a lot of students overlook. While everyone is chasing the big name national scholarships, the schools you apply to are offering significant money of their own — merit scholarships, need based aid, departmental awards.
A large portion of my $2.1 million came directly from universities. I made sure my applications to schools were just as strong as my applications for outside scholarships. I communicated my story clearly. I showed them who I was and what I was capable of.
Do not sleep on institutional aid. Apply to schools that value your story and your stats. Let them compete for you.
The Bottom Line
I am not going to pretend there is one magic formula that guarantees scholarship money. There is not. What I can tell you is this:
Show up fully. Use what you have. Tell your real story. Apply for everything. And when the rejections come — and they will come — understand that they are not the end of your story. They are just part of it.
I got rejected by QuestBridge. I got rejected by Burger King Scholars. And then I got the Gates Scholarship.
A rejection is only a redirection.
Your turn.