By Amy Moshier
When Beech Grove High School senior Sarah Ramsey heard that she had been awarded a scholarship from the Beech Grove Comprehensive Drug Free Coalition, she almost couldn’t describe the joy she felt. She didn’t think any scholarships were in the works for her.
“When I was notified about the award, it was such a surreal experience, it literally felt like time had stopped, and I was overcome with joy,” she said. Ramsey’s father had passed away, and she and her mother were grappling with finances. “It has been a struggle for me and my mom in deciding whether we could afford for me to go to college. My dream was to attend Purdue University; ever since my freshman year of high school, I was afraid that if I didn’t get any scholarships I wouldn’t be able to go,” she said.
Diana Hendricks, executive director of BGCDFC, said she was very happy for Sarah and pleased to be able to recognize someone who so richly deserved the scholarship. “She just deserves this so much. We didn’t know about everything she’d been dealing with until recently,” Hendricks said. “Sarah was fifth in her class of about 250 students and has a dream to become a psychiatrist.”
Ramsey said she feels her dreams are back on track after she received the scholarship.
“My mom and I spent a lot of time going over the numbers trying to see how we could make it work, but it didn’t seem like it would be financially feasible up until I was awarded the scholarship,” she said. “When I got the notification that I was awarded the scholarship, I cried and realized that I would be able to attend the school of my dreams.”
Sarah’s character is very impressive, according to Hendricks. “She really is just the kindest, sweetest person. So appreciative,” she said.
“This opportunity means the world to me. I am so happy and grateful!” stated Ramsey. “This organization has changed my life for the better and I can’t thank them enough,”
In order to be a candidate for the scholarship, Ramsey was required to have a mental health-related goal for her education and meet additional prerequisites. “She met all requirements with flying colors,” Hendricks said.
“Beech Grove alerted all seniors of the scholarship and the qualifications were that I had to have a GPA greater than or equal to a 2.7 and had to plan to attend a university to focus on the study of mental health conditions,” Ramsey said. “I had to write an essay on what drew me to pursue a career in behavioral health and I just spoke truthfully from the heart. Because of the CDFC scholarship, I can now confirm that I will be attending Purdue University to study psychology at the Honors College! In the future, I want to continue working in behavioral health, advocating for more mental health awareness.”
