Annika Birkeland
Marian Maldonaldo talks to Mrs. Milosh.
Search, research, write, revise, get feedback, rewrite, apply, and do it all again, over and over…
That’s the life of AVID students, especially seniors, in the spring semester. For the last 18 weeks of school, they find and apply for so many scholarships that they actually call it scholarship season. Recently, two seniors from the AVID program, Gael Gomez and Marian Maldonado, were awarded the $20,000 Dell Scholarship. Along with the $20,000, they also get $500 annually for textbooks, a Dell laptop with a 4-year warranty, free mental health counseling throughout college and are now considered “Dell Scholars,” which means they are supported academically (tailored academic planning, personalized coaching), financially (support for tuition, housing, etc.), professionally (career guidance, networks, etc.) and with wellness and mental health resources.
The Dell Scholarship is annually awarded to 500 students nationwide who are in college prep programs like AVID. It has two rounds: semi-finalists and finalists. The first round of applications opened in October.
“I didn’t give it much thought,” Maldonado said. “It was just for the [AVID] class. I had low expectations, because I thought, ‘it’s probably not going to be given to me.’”
On December 10, they were notified that they were advancing to the semifinals.
“Right whenever we found out, they opened the registration form,” Gomez said. “I think we had two months to do it. I know during Christmas break, I was really focusing on it. I finished two weeks before [it was due], because I was like, I need to get this [done].”
Registration for finalists was due Jan. 27, and on March 18, the Dell Scholars for 2025 were announced.
“Gael, he waited up,” AVID teacher Sarah Milosh said. “He was waiting until they released. He was so hopeful. He was so excited. And he and his mom had a big celebration. Marian was a little more like, ‘What?’ You know, just kind of shocked.”
When Maldondo received the email, her mom was the first person she told.
“She was so happy,” she said. “We both felt the relief, honestly. 20 grand is so helpful.”
Next year, Gomez, who will be a first-generation college student, will attend college to study nursing.
“[Weatherford College has] a [Bachelor’s in Nursing] program, so hopefully I’ll be able to do that,” he said. “I actually want to be a nurse practitioner. When I was younger, I had Crohn’s disease, and I was in the hospital a lot, so I feel like this is my way of giving back.”
Maldonado, also the first person in her family to go to college, is going to Texas State to become a neonatal nurse, also known as a NICU nurse.
“I’m scared, nervous, but very excited,” Maldanado said. “I do feel really blessed and really happy, and [this scholarship] is a really [big] help. It makes it feel like [I’m] getting closer to [my] dream, honestly.”