Student Thank You by Shelly Henling

My name is Shelly Henling and I am a junior Computer Engineering student. I want to thank you so much for your generosity. I cannot express enough how thankful I am to be a recipient of the Blue White Scholarship. Your kindness means an immense amount to me and my family, and we appreciate it more than I can say.

I was born in Seattle, Washington and lived there all my life until I came to Villanova three years ago. Back home I have five siblings, two of which are still in college and two more who are still in high school. This scholarship is not on- ly important to me, but to my whole family as well. My parents have always been believers in quality education and have been dedicated to allowing me to go to the best schools they could afford. My dad has always worked ex- tremely hard , but with six children, it has been difficult paying for all of our college educations and there-

fore we are extremely grateful for any support from benefactors such as yourselves.

My mom has also been sick for a large portion of my life, and it has been difficult paying for the medical treatments she requires. Last summer she spent a month in the hospital, and is sometimes unable to work for large periods of time. Also, last summer only a

month later, my dad got a new job which we were all excited for, but it didn’t last long. My Dad was bike riding and got hit by a drunk motorcyclist. He obtained a severe concussion that made him unable to work for three months, and eventually got laid off because he wasn’t able to get up to speed fast enough. I am so thankful for your generosity that makes it possible for me to attend the school of my dreams.

I am the first one in my family to come to Villanova University. I chose Villanova because I wanted to re- ceive an excellent engineering education and be able grow and expand in my faith as well. I was attracted to the Augustinian values Villanova continues to celebrate and the dedication to nurturing the whole person. It was very difficult for my family when I got into Villanova, because I knew I wanted to come here but we didn’t know if we could afford it. My experience at Villanova University has been the best three years of my life. Since

stepping foot on campus I have become enchanted with not only the beautiful campus but the kindhearted teachers and fellow classmates that are dedicated to helping me succeed. My teachers continue to inspire me on a daily basis and I have made my closest friends. I have loved every class I have taken, including the extremely challenging ones that push me to better student and more insightful engineer. If I could, I would go right back to freshman year and retake all the classes because I have loved them so much! My classes have already started my career journey. Thank you again for your generosity to me and to my family. I cannot express our thankfulness enough in this letter. You allow my dream of attending Villanova to be a reality, and I want you to know it is greatly appreciated.