Makela Rodgers

Public Policy

"Since USC does not guarantee housing for upperclassmen, and with the lack of affordable housing options available, I was pressured to sign a lease I knew I may not be able to afford."

Need Level

3.4/5

Merit Level

4.3/5

Ana Mendoza Ruiz

Economics

" Despite the financial difficulties, despite being a first-generation student, and despite being a woman of color, I will never give up on this goal. "

Need Level

3.4/5

Merit Level

4.0/5

Madeline Udelhofen

Creative Writing

I have become a horde of poetry that sleeplessly pours out of me in the small hours of the night, of the lyrics behind songs without melodies, of novels whose endings I am eager to pen down.

Need Level

3.4/5

Merit Level

4.5/5

Robert Cole

Cinematic Arts & Media Studies

" I can’t express the gratitude and the hardship this would relieve for myself and my two beautiful children! "

Need Level

5.0/5

Merit Level

4.9/5

Elisa Montes Preciado

Business and Public Policy

My mother is undergoing chemotherapy. My immigrant father who provides for 5, is working in construction. While I watch my father and mother struggle, I am fighting for social justice and maintaining a 4.0 gpa’

Need Level

3.0/5

Merit Level

4.5/5

Lianne Gao

Molecular Cellular Biology

" I moved halfway around the world, from a busy city of Fuzhou, China, to a small town of Niskayuna in upstate New York. "

Need Level

3.1/5

Merit Level

4.1/5

Alexis Augustine

Psychology

" I want to pave the way for more people like me to follow their wildest dreams..I want my nonprofit to be doing good work in the community and on campus. "

Need Level

3.9/5

Merit Level

4.1/5

Christian Wayne Perry

Film and Television Production

" My single "Scrutiny" was showcased on Joe Budden's podcast in August on 2019 and currently has 600k+ listens on streaming networks under my stage name "Christian Kamaal". "

Need Level

4.2/5

Merit Level

4.0/5

Samantha Kraus

Political Science

I faced fierce economic instability for a total of 4 years. Without truly understanding how or why, I was being displaced from my childhood home and parts of my family.

Need Level

3.4/5

Merit Level

4.0/5

Kiara Simmons

Communications

I have 2 jobs, and apply for scholarships to try to make it work, and take every opportunity I can. With perseverance I know I can make it, and do all of the things my younger self always dreamed of.

Need Level

3.9/5

Merit Level

4.2/5

Khwanhatai Kongkapetch

Social Worker

"My parents were working as farmers on the paddy field, each earning $1 for every 8 hours of work. As a family of five, that meant we were living on $60 a month."

Need Level

4.7/5

Merit Level

4.0/5

Susana P Hinojosa

Accounting

" Dance allowed me to express my feelings; every practice heightened my passion for my Mexican roots and respect for its cultural values. "

Need Level

3.3/5

Merit Level

4.0/5

Albert Cattouse

Law

“My career goal is to become a civil rights attorney”...”My heart hurts when I think about the killing of all the unarmed black men in this country without any justice being served to those held accountable.”

Need Level

3.2/5

Merit Level

4.3/5

Micaela Mengen

Data Science

" So I would skip meals and not pay for lunch ‘It will be worth it’ — I just had a hunch. Every little dollar, every little cent I saved it for my education with every intent "

Need Level

3.2/5

Merit Level

4.4/5

Sarah Belay

Global Health

" As I continue to pursue my post-secondary education, I hope I can use my degree to give back to those in my community who have gone through the same struggles as I have. "

Need Level

3.9/5

Merit Level

4.3/5