Each year Surprise Sundancer scholarship recipients send testimonials and stories about what these scholarships mean to them. This page celebrates these 2018 thank you stories.
A scholarship recipient that is attending Utah State University-8
"Thank you to all of the donors who have contributed to this scholarship. It means so much and will help me immensely in college. Thank you for helping me achieve my goals and dreams of attending Utah State University. I am absolutely honored to represent the youth of Surprise and I'm flattered to receive this scholarship."
A scholarship recipient that is attending Northern Arizona University-9
"I personally would like to thank you for this amazing blessing of a scholarship. This makes all the hard work and effort that I have put in with school and swim all worth it. This scholarship will make my family and I very happy and will ease the process of attending college for all of us. I appreciate everything that you do and have done for the previous winners. I could not be more honored to have won this scholarship, thank you so much."
A scholarship recipient that is attending Arizona State University-10"Thank you for your continuous support of my education through the Surprise Sundancer Scholarship. It has undoubtedly been a great tool that I have been able to utilize for college in order to support my success both in and out of the classroom. I have been able to focus less on the financial aspect of attending college and more so on doing well in class with my great grades and well respected GPA."
A scholarship recipient that is attending the University of Arizona-11
"Words cannot express how thankful I am to be a recipient of the Scholarship! The $5,000 I was awarded will go toward paying my tuition to the UofA and will definitely make my first year of college less expensive than my family had anticipated. With this scholarship, my parents will also have increased financial stability in the upcoming year to support both my siblings and their extracurricular activities. Now I am able to focus more on my future academic goals as opposed to worrying about how I would find enough money to make them possible."
A scholarship recipient that is attending the University of Arizona-12
"I would like to personally thank all the scholarship donors as it is in honor to be nominated for this scholarship. I am very grateful and it will ultimately help me in my devotion to succeed in college. This just goes to show how much hard work pays off and will support me in my desire to pursue in a career as a physician assistant. "
A scholarship recipient that is attending the University of Central Florida-13
"It is truly an honor to write to all of you expressing my gratitude. As an 18 year old moving across the country 2,000 miles I did not know what to expect. I knew that I would attend school full time and play softball for University. I knew that my parents were limited on what they could provide for me, so the scholarship not only helped with the schooling but allowed me to get through my freshman year. I would not trade this opportunity for the world, but I want to let each and everyone who participates and supports the Sundancers that I am so blessed and grateful for your generosity. You are all amazing and have made such and impact on my life. "
A scholarship recipient that is attending Point Loma Nazarene University-14
"I am a freshman in college and want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your donation to my college fund the the Sundancers Scholarship. You have made it possible for me to attend my dream school: Point Loma Nazarene University. I absolutely love it here and am bursting with knowledge that I have learned in my first year. I have grown immensely in two short semesters. It means the world to me that you are willing to give of your resources to help me better myself through the experience of college."
A scholarship recipient that is attending University of Arizona-15"Thank you very much for selecting me to be a recipient of a Sundancers scholarship. Your financial support will go towards my tuition at the university of Arizona. This award helps my parents and me with the financial burden of attending a university. I promise to continue to work hard and get good grades so that I am successful in college and all my endeavors!"
A scholarship recipient that is attending University of Arizona-16" I really appreciate the opportunity I have been given and funding my education at the college level. I have always played sports and been a part of clubs that I thought would benefit me the most in life. My clubs and sports helped me get closer with my community and be a part of multiple teams that gave me people and life skills. Thanks to you, I am able to have some of my tuition payed for because of the clubs and sports I was blessed to be involved. "
A scholarship recipient that is attending Ottawa University-17" Thank you so much for this opportunity I am so grateful. Any dollar helps with college tuition. I will not waste the money, and I will change students lives with this money. Again I am very grateful for this scholarship this helps me so much! I am very blessed to be chosen. "
A scholarship recipient that is attending Grand Canyon University-18"I truly appreciate you guys offering me the scholarship. You guys have made college one step easier for me. My family and I are highly appreciative of this organization and will never let it pass through our minds."
A scholarship recipient that is attending Arizona State University-19"I am writing to thank the organization for the generous $2,500 surprise Sundancers scholarship. My family and I are very grateful and appreciative to learn that I was chosen as the recipient of the scholarship. The financial assistance given will be a great help towards paying my higher education expenses. I intend to pursue medical school after completion of my undergraduate program and hope to work in the public sector for healthcare policy.
By awarding me the scholarship, I will be able to focus and concentrate on what is very important to me: completing my education. Your financial generosity made me closer to my goals and aspirations. This also inspired me to continue helping others and hopefully someday, I will be able to help others to achieve their goals the way I was helped by your organization."
A scholarship recipient that is attending Grand Canyon University -20"Thank you very much for awarding me this scholarship. I worked extremely hard to further my education and to perform well in school. Thank you for taking the time and effort to recognize dedicated students like myself. Personally, this scholarship makes paying college tuition easier on my whole family. I am getting married in June, And we have had some anxieties about how we are going to afford to keep us both in college. Thank you for getting us one step closer to figuring it out."
A scholarship recipient that is attending Northern Arizona University -21"I would just like to take the time to thank the surprise Sundancer‘s for their mission to better the lives of young adults and their educational career’s. Thank you for believing in me and my peers. Without your support and overall generosity, I would not be able to afford college. I applaud you all and thank you so much for all you do. You make the City of Surprise proud!"
Some testimonies have been edited for length.