I must admit that the next best news to knowing the baby might arrive in the next day or two is receiving an email this morning stating that I’m a finalist in the blogging scholarship offered by collegescholarships.org. As many of you are aware, I’m in the midst of my first quarter at Savannah College of Art & Design. I’m currently in SCAD’s eLearning program majoring in Digital Media with a concentration in Interactive Design. Just as many of you are facing the financial burdens of completing your education, I’m also seeking for ways to help pay for the tuition at SCAD which is over ten times higher than Valencia’s tuition.

Let the voting begin!
This scholarship will be awarded based on a public voting which will be open through Midnight on October 28th, 2007. Now though I’d love for you all to vote for me, I do encourage you to check out the top 20 finalists and then go vote for who you feel is the most deserving of this scholarship. As you are voting you are reminded of why collegescholarships.org is offering this scholarship:

“At College Scholarships.org we believe that everyone deserves a shot at a decent education…We believe passion is important. As the world gets more competitive, those who are passionate about what they do, and work close to their passions, will be able to become and stay successful even as technology and automation eat away at many business models. Those who are willing to share their experiences with the world help make the world a better place, even if most bloggers only consider blogging a hobby.”

My scholarship essay
As part of the scholarship requirements I submitted an essay which I felt was worth sharing with you all now that I am a finalist:

You’ve asked for someone who is passionate about what they do, so here I am. I am currently a full-time student at Savannah College of Art & Design, where the tuition and fees alone in my first quarter transferring will exceed the amount of this scholarship. Despite currently teaching at a community college, the expenses along with caring for a child and a baby expected in just over a month are a bit overwhelming. One thing is certain, regardless of the financial burdens college brings, I will continue to remain passionate about blogging and inspiring others. The blog I started for our graphics program has grown by leaps and bounds in just over a year. As I reflect on starting the blog I am reminded of a number of comments from many who who felt it was not worth my time, but I persisted forward and was confident it was not only an idea which would be successful but that it would become a catalyst for myself and others to share our knowledge with others in the design industry. Our blog has become a useful resource and inspiration to our students, faculty, as well as designers in places I’d never even imagine. Though I am the primary driving force behind our blog, with nearly 200 posts in the last year, I have since sparked a sense of community amongst our readers. I’m eager to continue to increase involvement on our blog by adding new contributors that share that same passion I have. This scholarship would certainly help others realize that ideas, such as this blog, can start with one person who believes they can make a difference which one day can become something so successful and useful that others couldn’t imagine living without it.

A deserving blog community
And if you need to be reminded of just how much we’ve accomplished with this blog in the last year you can revisit the update posted on the anniversary of our blog. Or if you’re looking for some of the most useful posts check out our resources page. This scholarship would be a great accomplishment towards not just supporting my education at SCAD but it would also help recognize the outstanding creative community we’ve established online – which wouldn’t be possible without all of you!