It’s graduation season, and all across the state folks are celebrating getting their degrees. Whether you’re walking across the stage in person or virtually, a sincere congratulations is in order.
We’d love to introduce you to a couple of university grads we met this year: Sarah Hall and Tiana Washington. Both are recipients of Education Lottery Scholarships that helped them pay for school.
Tiana Washington
Tiana’s dream of becoming a pediatric psychologist in a rural, under-served community is well underway. She graduates Friday from ECU with a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and hopes to continue her academic career by pursuing a graduate degree.
Tiana understood right away that paying for college would put a strain on her mother, as she has siblings who are close enough in age with her attending college at the same time. So, to help pay for college, she interned and worked part-time throughout her four years at ECU.
“Receiving a lottery scholarship meant that I could focus on school and let go of any stress about paying for college,” she said.
Sarah Hall
Sarah started her dream job at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville in February after having graduated from East Carolina University with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She’s known for a long time that she wanted to be in the medical field, specifically working in trauma and emergency nursing, and that desire did not change despite the pandemic.
“I’ve always been really interested in the science and have a natural pull to want to help someone hurt,” she said. “I don’t want to do anything else!”
Like many other North Carolinians, Sarah worked part-time at a local restaurant to help pay for school. And, like many other North Carolinians, Sarah was laid off toward the start of the pandemic. “Back in March [of 2020] restaurants everywhere were closing,” she said. “Finding out I got a scholarship was good because I hadn’t worked all summer. That was a nice little surprise.”
We believe in the value of a good education. One of the ways your lottery helps is by raising money every single day to help make college more affordable and we’d love nothing more than to hear the stories of those who received one. If you or someone you know has benefitted from an Education Lottery Scholarship, email communication@lotterync.com to connect with us and share that story.
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