CINCINNATI — The cost for college has continued to increase, and for many students, that holds them back from applying to some schools. That’s why the Anthony Muñoz Foundation has been giving high school seniors scholarships for 20 years in southwest Ohio and surprised Turpin High School senior Vicky Almeida with her scholarship.
What You Need To Know
- The Anthony Muñoz Foundation awarded $42,000 to 18 high school seniors
- The foundation picks the winners based on nominations from teachers, coaches, counselors and other school leaders based on several requirements such as athletic achievement, academic excellence and more
- This year there were more than 320 nominations from 133 local high schools
- Vicky Almeida won the top female spot at the Straight ‘A’ Scholarship Recipient, winning a total of $5,000
Almeida was surprised with a $5,000 scholarship from the Anthony Muñoz Foundation as the top female chosen this year for the Straight ‘A’ Scholarship.
“It feels amazing,” Almeida said. “It feels like all the work, all the work that my parents did and my hard work paid off,” she said.
Almeida said much of her success is thanks to her teachers, especially when times got difficult.
“It was very tough. It was very tough to deal with that,” she said. “I always relied on those people. I always relied on those connections with my teachers to listen.”
Almeida emigrated to the U.S. from Venezuela with her family when she was just 9-years-old. In addition to many health scares with her mom and sister, as well as economic struggles, Almeida has continued to push forward.
“My life has been a lot of hardship, that’s for sure,” Almeida said. “But I think the most important thing that has gotten me through those times is family and hope.”
Almeida has filled much of her time at Turpin as the band’s drum major, securing the spot as just a sophomore.
Now, she walks the halls of Turpin for the last few times before graduation, reflecting on her time.
“It really hasn’t — it hasn’t even hit me that I’m going to Georgetown,” she said. “It feels like a fever dream right now. I’m really going to miss this place.”
But she’s heading to her dream school on almost a full ride thanks to an additional scholarship from Georgetown and thanks to the teachers that helped guide her to this point.
“It won’t be goodbye,” she said. “It’ll be ‘see you later.’”
