By Oliver Josephson
Ever heard of the saying “education makes us rise above?” Yes, it does, for those who work hard. The Hope Starts Here Scholarhip is used to help students rise above through education. It is used to award students currently living in New Hampshire who have experienced homelessness during their school career. Students receive this scholarship based on their desire to continue their education beyond high school and have demonstrated academic achievement. In other words, they must have the desire to attend college and receive strong grades that are above average throughout their schooling.
Breanna Ostrander, a senior at Hopkinton High School, won the Hope Starts Here Scholarship this year. Breanna was homeless from November 2010 until January 2011. For a couple of months of that she was couch surfing, sleeping on the couch in the homes of her friend’s homes. She found out about this scholarship one morning during school from one of our school guidance counselors, Mrs. Lajoie. Once Breanna heard about this scholarship, she said, “I knew this would be the perfect scholarship for me.” So, in order to apply, she had to write an essay and ask a teacher for a recommendation, in this case, she asked Ms. Walton, an English teacher at Hopkinton High School. Once the essay and recommendation were complete, she anxiously waited. Ms. Walton has known Breanna since 9th grade. She even had Breanna live with her for the couple of months she was homeless. “She could not live at home, the state had nothing, no foster homes. She had to have a place to live.”
As a result, Breanna’s hard work and determination paid off. About a week after she sent in her essay and recommendation, a man by the name of Kyle Beallieu from Families In Transition, gave her a phone call to tell her she won the scholarship, which was for $2,175.
Once she won the scholarship, she was invited to recite her essay on the morning of October 24th, 2011 at the New Hampshire Homeless Providers and Education Liaisons Partnership Conference and was given her certificate from New Hampshire Governor John Lynch. At the convention, there were approximately 500 people. Breanna was the only student in the state who won the scholarship. Breanna said, “A room full of people all listening to me was kind of scary!” Staff from Hopkinton High School, our guidance counselor Mrs. Lajoie, one of social studies teachers Mrs. Sintros, and Ms. Walton, the English teacher who wrote Breanna’s recommendation and had Breanna live with her, got to attend the convention. Ms. Walton was extremely proud of Breanna’s achievement. She said, “I love the title for this scholarship because when I see Breanna I see hope and that there is good in this world being recognized. Breanna is committed and uses her brain to rise above, which this scholarship is all about.”
Now that Breanna has won the scholarship, she plans to use the money to go to college at Montana State University. She has already been partially accepted and plans to study Farm and Ranch Management. “All I need to do is send in my SAT scores and I am one-hundred percent going there.” If you are a student who has experienced homelessness and wants to achieve a higher education, you can apply for the scholarship at, [DOC] NH Coalition to End Homelessness
www.education.nh.gov/.../hopestartshere_application_form_2011.do.
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