The gratitude that I have for receiving this scholarship is overwhelming. I am full of joy. I'm profoundly grateful that The OCF Joseph E. Weston Public Foundation and The Alliance chose me to receive this scholarship to help fulfill my dreams. My ultimate goal in my life is to become a great person in this community and serve the youth of this generation. Thank you to everyone who has helped support me on this educational journey. Most of all, to those who have chosen me for this scholarship.

This scholarship was meaningful to me because I didn’t have to take a new job, which wouldn't have split my focus between school and work.

I plan to hopefully become a teacher of some sort, or if God has it, become a NASCAR driver.

First of all, thank you for the scholarship. It gave me a great opportunity to continue college without the weight of financial insecurity. My family is low-income and money is always on my mind, so being able to receive this scholarship means so much.

The OCF Joseph E. Weston Public Foundation Scholarship reduced the financial burden of attending college. With this scholarship, I was able to pay for textbooks and transportation expenses. It also helped my parents feel more at ease that I’m receiving help in paying for college. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I am honored to be one of the recipients of the OCF Joseph E. Western Public Foundation Scholarship. Thank you for your generous support. I am the first in my family to attend college and growing up in a less privileged community has not only offered financial and academic challenges but has also helped me realize the value of a college education. Once again, thank you for the vote of confidence in starting this new journey. I am committed to my education and to the health care field, and this education is one step closer to my dream of becoming a nurse.

As a low-income first-generation college student, finding the funding to attend college is difficult. I never expected to be able to attend a university and it is scholarships like this that make it possible. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to focus on my education without stressing about the financial aspect. Thank you to everyone who made this possible!

The scholarship is meaningful to me because it allowed me to continue my education. Thank you.

Work on being involved in the career I want.

Thank you for making a dream more achievable. This scholarship helped cover the expense of paying for school.

Go for a master's degree or work for a college athletic department.

I am currently working part-time night shifts at the ICU and concurrently working on my capstone for graduation. This has been a rocky journey for me while trying to balance rigorous schoolwork and earning money to pay my tuition. This scholarship has had a tremendous impact on my journey. I cannot thank you enough!

After I graduate, I plan to stay in my hometown where my family and relatives are. My parents are dependent on me and I hope to stay close to them.

This scholarship was meaningful to me because it helps me to see that there are people out there who want to see me succeed and for that I am forever grateful. It is greatly appreciated and inspiring that someone else within the community would help lift some of the financial burdens of school so that I can focus more closely on my education. Thank you!

After my journey at George Fox University, I plan to teach lower elementary grade levels and hopefully inspire future generations to be genuine people.

I am very thankful to be chosen as a recipient of the OCF Joseph E. Weston Public Foundation Scholarship. It's significant and impactful to me and my family, who are supporting me through college. This will help relieve the stress that comes from the financial burdens of pursuing a higher level of education. Thank you.

I chose Pacific University for its education program and the close-knit community on campus and in the classrooms. I think the largest class I've been in had at most 30 students. So I've been able to work closely with my peers and professors. As an education major, getting to know other students who want to teach has created a supportive community in my classes. I want to teach so I can contribute to my community and continuously learn.

After I graduate, I'll return home, teach in my community, and support my family. I want to set an example for my younger siblings and support them through their college careers. I want to be able to relieve some of my mother's financial burdens and eventually take care of her.

This scholarship is meaningful to me because it will allow me to spend more time on my schoolwork, reducing the energy I exert working to support myself. Sincerely, thank you so much! I, and students in similar situations, deeply appreciate your support.

attend grad school for an MA in social work and become certified in criminal justice work.

Since my nursing career began, I have struggled financially. The OCF Joseph E. Weston Public Foundation Scholarship is more than just meaningful to me. Since 2020, I have been a recipient of several Oregon grants and scholarships, however, I couldn't qualify as a recipient this academic year. This was due to the combined household income, despite not receiving assistance, from my parents' income. Receiving this scholarship relieves a slight amount of pressure from my shoulders. Receiving this scholarship allows me to focus on my academics rather than my part-time job. Receiving this scholarship means reducing the amount of loans that I need to finish my degree. This scholarship will soon allow me to give back to my community as a nurse. Thank you for this opportunity.

I chose to attend the University of Portland because it is one of the best nursing schools in the state of Oregon. I wanted to be close to my parents and for them to witness me accomplish my goals and dreams. From middle school, I was already looking into college and the requirements to receive financial assistance and career opportunities in the medical field. In my high school years, I began to spend my summers volunteering at hospitals like OHSU and Tuality Community Center. These sites helped me identify that I wanted to work in healthcare. Now, I am only a year or so away from fulfilling my goal and I could not be more excited to begin my journey as a nurse.

After graduation, I am taking a vacation. During this time, I plan to look at hospital job opportunities in the state of Oregon, so that when summer comes to an end, I will be able to begin pursuing my career in nursing. After I gain more experience, I plan to complete the required measures to become a Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA) to successfully accomplish my goal of practicing in an operating room.

This scholarship allows me to pursue my education at an affordable rate. Recently, I had to move home due to a family health issue. Having financial support for my education means everything to me and my future. I would like to extend an extremely sincere thank you to the OCF Joseph E. Weston Public Foundation for making my dreams possible.

I chose this Pacific University because, initially, I wanted to pursue optometry. However, now I am planning to pursue a PA career and my college offers both areas in graduate and undergrad. I chose Biology for this reason exactly; I knew I wanted to go into the medical track, but I needed to discover what specialty I wanted.

I plan to apply to PA schools after I earn my bachelor’s degree in biology.