Example letter #1:
From a young age, I was always enamored with science, engineering, and the arts. I could always be found building bridges out of LEGO bricks, playing guitar, or taking photos around town. I was never sure what I wanted to study in college until high school, when I began researching architecture and design and realized that it was a perfect fit for me. When I first became interested in architecture, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was one of the first names I learned. I quickly became obsessed with the great importance of his work, and as I began to research schools, I found that I had an opportunity to study at the very school where Mies’ work in America began: Illinois Institute of Technology. The more I researched, the more I realized that Illinois Tech’s proximity to Chicago, nationally ranked program, and excellent faculty and staff made for my ideal school.
Receiving the ______________ Scholarship made it possible for me to attend my top-choice university and has exposed me to so many more new viewpoints and opportunities than I would have received anywhere else. Due to the education I received in my first semester at Illinois Tech, I secured an internship at an architecture firm for winter break and have made so many valuable connections through our American Institute of Architecture Students chapter. The most impactful thing that I’ve seen in my education so far was a lecture in my Introduction to Architecture class recently in which we discussed the unfortunate truth of climate change and the drastic effort that must be made by architects to construct buildings more responsibly and with lower carbon footprints. This lecture really inspired me to base the rest of my career around providing the world with more environmentally friendly buildings. All of these opportunities have been made possible by your generosity, and for that I am more thankful than my words can express.
Example letter #2:
Being a recipient of this scholarship has given me the opportunity to attend my top choice school. As a fourth-year undergraduate student who is majoring in business administration, now more than ever it allows me to reflect on how far I have come both academically and as a person. In these last few years I have learned a lot about my area of study, developed valuable skills, and met wonderful professors and classmates. Illinois Tech has really exposed me to new levels of thinking and has, therefore, also helped me grow as a person.
I attended ___________ High School in ____________ and have lived in the city all my life. Both of my parents are immigrants, and America appeared to be the place that they could prosper, especially considering the societal value placed on education. As a result, I have grown up having the importance of education drilled into my head. I believe that I have worked intensely to get where I am. However, to see that there are those who also want to invest in my future means so much to me; it is one thing to say I am working hard, but it is another if I am both acknowledged and rewarded for it.
Despite working part-time, without this scholarship it would not have been possible for me to attend this school. To say that I am thankful for the _____________ Scholarship would not begin to explain the gratitude and appreciation I feel for being selected to receive such funding. Although I am a first-generation student who grew up on the South Side of Chicago and attended public schools my entire life, this year I will be the first in my family to graduate from college, and a huge part of making all of this happen is because of this scholarship.
Example letter #3:
I am writing to you as one of the thankful recipients of the _________________ Scholarship. This scholarship has allowed me to obtain my degree without worrying about the financial pressures of college. It has granted me the ability to make the most of what Illinois Tech has to offer, and give back to my classmates. Here I discovered my love for research and my passion for teaching. After graduation, I plan to continue both of these avenues, by working toward a master’s degree while on a path in academia. None of this would have been possible without this scholarship.
Without the pressure to get a job while in school, I was able to take full advantage of office hours with professors. I was drawn to Illinois Tech particularly because of its smaller size, which means greater access to professors outside of class. I don’t think there was a week where I didn’t stop by a professor’s office hours. Although I was intimidated a first about speaking to my professors one on one, I soon saw the immense returns. Not only was I able to receive the help I needed, but I also learned about the professors’ interests and research. I got involved in research both at the robotics lab and in the field of solid mechanics. I spent my free time typing code that could count the number of dust particles in a microscopic image, and working on derivations for when the human spine is affected with defects like scoliosis. If I hadn't had the time to invest in getting to know the professors, I would have never discovered the enjoyment that research brings. After graduation, I am pursuing a master’s degree in computational mathematics to continue working on mathematical formulations for engineering problems. This would not have been possible without having the freedom to utilize office hours to their fullest.
My other hobby at Illinois Tech that was possible because of this generous scholarship was tutoring. I started tutoring back as a junior in high school. At Illinois Tech, tutoring was a chance for me to reciprocate the help that I got in office hours to my fellow mechanical engineers. I worked at the Academic Resource Center (ARC) on campus, where I used my hours of studying and developing tricks for the MMAE curriculum toward helping out those mechanical engineers just starting their journey and those working on the same material as me. It was my time working as a tutor where I realized how much enjoyment I could get out of working through material with other students. I see a calling in my life to continue tutoring and teaching. I wouldn’t have discovered this calling if it weren’t for the opportunity to serve my classmates as a tutor.
There is no doubt in my mind that without this scholarship I would not have been able to call myself a Scarlet Hawk. The course of my life has been forever impacted by the great people that lie between 31st and 35th Streets. From the bottom of my heart, from my first derivate to my last integral and all the free body diagrams in between, thank you for making my education possible.