Sallie Mae awards $25K scholarships to four students

17 year-old Kendal Conney, of Camden, Mich., holds her father Shawn's hand as he wipes away tears while watching a short documentary on why she was nominated for a $25,000 scholarship from Sallie Mae. Coney was amongst the four high school students from across the country were individually awarded the 25,000 scholarship Tuesday afternoon.(Photo: JENNIFER CORBETT/THE NEWS JOURNAL)Buy Photo

Sallie Mae gave out a total of $100,000 in scholarship money to four high school students from across the country.

The Stanton-based student loan company awarded the scholarships Tuesday as each recipient was presented with $25,000 for their college education.

The  Bridging the Dream Scholarship was given to four students from around the nation who exemplify excellence inside and outside the classroom and have overcome obstacles and a commitment to pursuing a college degree. The students were selected from a field picked by 20,000 high school guidance counselors.

A portion of the scholarship funds were raised by Sallie Mae employees. Workers organized a host of fundraising events earning more than $50,000 for the students, supplemented by the company to reach the $100,000 total.

"Our mission is to make the dream of higher education a reality and — as you might conclude from the extraordinary involvement of our employees in making this scholarship a reality — all of us at Sallie Mae are deeply committed to helping students and their families reach their potential," said Raymond J. Quinlan, Sallie Mae's chairman and CEO.

All four students were surprised by the announcement. They were flown to Sallie Mae's headquarters in Newark and told they were finalists for the $25,000 scholarship, but only one student would win it. Kendal Cooney, 17, a junior at Camden-Frontier High School in Camden, Michigan, said after the event she still has not recovered from the shock of all four winning the scholarship.

"It was super overwhelming and I just couldn't believe it at first," she said. "I just started breaking down and crying as I heard it was all four of us. I wanted to hug everyone else."

When Cooney was a freshman in 2013, her mother died of breast cancer. Although Cooney has not yet selected a college, she was inspired by her mother and those who cared for her to pursue a degree in the medical field.

"Watching her go through treatment and the people who helped her along the way really touched my life," she said. "I want to do that for other people."

In addition to overcoming the loss of her mother, Cooney is a member of her school's student council, it's Future Farmers of America chapter and the National Honor Society. She is also the student ambassador on the Camden-Frontier School board. She is already taking college level classes at nearby Jackson College and said the scholarship money is a big step toward her dream.

"It's life-changing," she said.

Another scholarship winner, Bryana Blanco, 18, of Pembroke Pines, Florida, is a senior at West Broward High School. Her parents divorced when she was young and her mom has been her sole provider. But the family hit a financial rough patch when Blanco's mother lost her job.

Blanco said the family's financial difficulties made her question if she would ever attend college. As a result of the Sallie Mae scholarship, she will be attending University of South Florida where she will study trauma and emergency room nursing.

"I can't thank the people of Sallie Mae enough," said Blanco, the first member of her family to attend college.

Blanco is president of her high school's Do Something Club, a community service organization, and a member of the Thespian Honor Society, National Honor Society and Drama Club, activities she balances while tutoring her peers in several subjects. She said she was shocked to learn all four students would be receiving scholarship funds.

"I couldn't even process what was said," Blanco recalled. "I looked at the other finalists and it was just amazing to know Sallie Mae brought us closer to a college education."

Other winners included Quinton Lopez, 17, of Canoga Park, California, and Kayla Pinzur, 17, of Brewster, New York.

A senior at Chaminade College Preparatory, Lopez is a budding aerialist and gymnastics star. He typically puts in 20-hour days balancing college-preparation courses with early morning aerial and cheerleading practice sessions. Lopez also works after school as a gymnastics instructor and cooks dinner for his mother and siblings. He dreams of becoming a pediatric surgeon.

Pinzur is a senior at Brewster High School. Ranked near the top of her class, she enjoys writing, science and the arts. She has overcome personal and family struggles to pursue her passion for dancing. Pinzur dances competitively on the weekends and spends four to five hours each day working with younger students as a dance instructor. Her goal is to become a physical therapist.

Contact Jeff Mordock at (302) 324-2786, on Twitter @JeffMordockTNJ or jmordock@delawareonline.com.

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Source: Sallie Mae awards $25K scholarships to four students