Before Thanksgiving break started for Lakewood Spartans, senior Zitlaly Lora won a scholarship by The Promise Foundation by authoring a personal essay, last minute.

“I felt so grateful that they found me worthy of earning a scholarship,” Lora said.

The Promise Foundation is a need-based scholarship to provide college funding for students who live in the area. To qualify for the scholarship, scholars must have volunteering experience, a GPA of 3.5 or higher, and an annual income below $40,000.

“I plan to go to UCF and use the money for tuition and other expenses,” Lora said.

With plans to major in computer science during college, she looks forward to using the scholarship funds to pursue those dreams. Lora experienced a mix of emotions, following her scholarship nomination.

“I was kind of shocked because I know so many people in the CAT program who were also worthy of being nominated and it made me feel a little guilty,” she said.

Universities are allowed to nominate up to five students.

“I was pulled out of class and went to the CAT office where Mrs. Brown told me I had been nominated,” Lora said.

Lora’s advice to seniors who are stressed about college is, “always go above and beyond, don’t settle for the bare minimum.”