Still In Shock

Back in January I filled out an application for a scholarship called the T.H. Bell. You had to write an essay explaining why you should receive it, what your teaching plans were, etc. I've been working really hard to improve my GPA since it tanked when Joe was sick but it's still not quite to the 3.5 you normally have to have in order to receive a scholarship, but I thought "What the heck, I might as well turn in the paperwork!" It had been almost four months and I wasn't really giving it much thought, just assuming the candidates had been chosen already. Last Saturday I went out for the mail and had an envelope from the teaching department. I just got accepted into the program for fall semester so I wondered what else they could possibly need from me, other than I haven't done my criminal background check yet, oops! When I opened it, I read "Congratulations! You have been selected to be a recipient for the Terrel H. Bell . . . " and I just started crying! I guess my 3.44 is good enough for them :) It will cover my tuition and student fees for up to 3 years, which means I will save about $13,000 that I don't have to get student loans for. This is such an incredible relief and blessing for our family. As the title says, I'm still in shock, but I'm extremely happy and pretty proud of myself!