SCHOLARSHIP STORIES
One hundred percent of the 80 members of the Class of 2020 received academic scholarships at four-year colleges or universities totaling over $28 million.
One hundred percent
Britney Aparicio, Barnard College
Aliyana Bonilla, Binghamton University
Thinking back over my four years at Notre Dame, I can say it was quite an experience. I remember entering ND and feeling the instant support from my peers and teachers. I was able to discover who I was and who I wanted to be with the many opportunities Notre Dame gave me. It all started with finding my passion in Girls Who Code. Having supportive teachers like Mr. Lejano and Ms. Vella made my experience in this club unique, and I learned to believe in myself regardless of how challenging a task may be. Girls Who Code allowed me to discover the world of technology, and I was able to participate in such opportunities as the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program. It was because of this experience that I officially knew I wanted to be a part of the world of technology. Another experience Notre Dame gave me was in 2019, when the counselors encouraged me to join the Job Opportunities Program. This involvement led to me landing an internship at a finance corporation for the summer. As a first-generation, low income student, I was not aware such opportunities could ever happen to me, but today I am extremely grateful to have had those experiences because of ND. Through my years at Notre Dame, I was able to create a steady support system along with the guidance of my family. I had my sponsors, Mr. and Mrs. Houlihan, who would encourage me and check up on me regularly; my peers, who would support me no matter what; my teachers, who would stay after hours to make sure my friends and I were well; and my guidance counselor Ms. Hickson, who was a huge help during the college process. If it were not for all the guidance and experiences I have had over the last four years, I would
not have been able to start my new journey at Barnard College, where I plan on studying Computer Science and Mathematics on a nearly full scholarship. Having so many
As it is time to reflect on the amazing four years I have spent at Notre Dame, I could not be more grateful for the decision I made to be a part Chez Nous. From the beginning of middle school, I knew that I wanted to belong to the Chez Nous community because of the stellar academic and supportive reputation I learned about through ND alumnae and my admissions counselors. Coming from a co-ed middle school, I did not know if it would be easy to make friends in an allgirls school because of the stereotypical assumptions of “cliques”, but that wasn’t the case with ND. Even on my first day, I felt a part of the community, because Notre Dame makes sure you have people there for you. The ND community helped motivate me to set the foundations in order to achieve my goals. For example, during my junior year, my counselor, Ms. Hickson, introduced me to the Futures and Options Program, which led to a paid summer internship at a nonprofit organization, where I had the chance to sit down with Supreme Court Justice, Sonia Sotomayor, and Police Commissioner, Ray Kelly. Notre Dame continued to help me grow my resume by referring me to new opportunities that revolved around the career I wanted to pursue. From working as campaign staff to ND alumna City Councilwoman, Carlina Rivera, to landing a full time, paid i nternship at a law firm, I could not be more thankful to have ND as one of my biggest supporters. With the many highlights of high school came various struggles. From insecurities to challenging subjects, the one thing that never let me down was the Notre Dame faculty. Anytime I was struggling I knew I could go to a teacher or counselor to talk and express how I felt, and they would try their best to help. Coming from a Latino family, and given the low statistics for Latin American teens to attend college, the college process was a bit intimidating. However, with Notre Dame's consistent support and guidance, I knew I could achieve the impossible.
people believe in me, and pushing me to be my best, I know I will have a chance to make a difference while continuing to have that ND support through my lifetime.
With the help of ND, I am proud to say I will be studying Politics, Philosophy, & Law at Binghamton University on a full scholarship. 23
