Ahlaam Abdulcadir, Bilal Adam, Violet Dupree-Hebert, and Maya Holmes were named Wallin Scholars. A Wallin Scholar is awarded a scholarship to cover their tuition and other expenses. They also benefit from a range of academic support services including tutoring, mentoring, and career counseling. The students are four of 361 four-year scholars from more than 70 high schools to receive the prestigious scholarship.
Maya Holmes
Maya plans to attend the University of Minnesota majoring in computer science.
How did you feel when you found out you were named a Wallin scholar?
It was pure joy. I was ecstatic at the fact, especially due to how much the cost of college is. Any sum of money helps and I was so grateful to be one of the students who received the scholarship. I immediately went to Ms. Heimlich—the AVID teacher—at the school and shared the news, as she was the one who motivated me to fill out the form.
Violet Dupree-Hebert
Violet plans to attend the University of Minnesota majoring in civil engineering.
How did you feel when you found out you were named a Wallin scholar?
I immediately emailed Ms. Heimlich to tell her because she guided me through the whole process. I couldn’t have done it without her.
Ahlaam Abdulcadir
Ahlaam plans to attend the University of Minnesota majoring in nursing to become a nurse anesthetist.
How did you feel when you found out you were named a Wallin scholar?
I was shocked because they had extended the deadline for the scholarship and I had thought I wouldn’t be chosen. I was thankful that I had help from my AVID teacher to inform me about the deadlines and this scholarship opportunity.
Bilal Adam
Bilal plans to attend Augsburg University.
How did you feel when you found out you were named a Wallin scholar?
Winning the Wallin scholarship definitely felt surreal. I was really confident and proud of my essay, but I knew that it's still a competitive scholarship, so I was hoping for the best. I remember when I received the message telling me to check my email, the first thing I saw was "Congratulations!" and I was speechless. Not only that but seeing how happy and proud those around me were made it an even better moment.