remember Shayla?

In October of 2014 I get a call from Shayla, a girl I've never met.  She's the great grand-daughter of my mom's best friend and lives in Florida.

Shayla wins me over in a few minutes, and I agree to help her with college applications. She comes to me with all the right stuff (top of her class, good board scores, hard-working, smart, resourceful). Shayla is amazingly sweet, despite a life filled with challenges. Her optimism is a defining part of her personality. I wrote about her last May.

http://www.nycdiarist.com/2015/05/shayla.html

When I first spoke to Shayla, she was hoping I could help her with her college essays. I was happy to, but I also wanted to help her with school selection. She was pretty set on staying in Florida, and was reasonably sure she'd get into Florida State.

After learning more about Shayla, it became clear to me that she should aim high. I told her about schools she'd never heard of. Schools she'd heard of but knew nothing about. And schools she thought might be too much of a reach or too expensive. I also introduced her to a program called Questbridge.

Shayla is the ideal student.

She learns quickly. Is smart. Takes direction well. Is diligent and hard-working.  And never sends me anything that is almost-done, hoping I will add the finishing touches.  It's one of the gazillion things I love about her.

Shayla applies to Questbridge and today learns that she's been matched. That means that for the next four years, tuition, room, board, books, and a travel stipend will all be covered. Swarthmore, the #3 liberal arts college in this country, has accepted Shayla, and that is where she'll be going this coming fall.

This is a girl who will go far. Swarthmore will be her first step into a world she as yet doesn't know.

I am beyond happy for her.