It’s that time again when the Vashon Community Scholarship Foundation asks our community to help give the gift of opportunity for Vashon High School seniors who complete a scholarship notebook. These students have dreams and goals for the future that can only be accomplished by first continuing their education. Whether they attend a community college, university or trade school, these students head out to make their way in the world, a competitive world, where earning a college degree does not come cheap!

Eighteen years ago, I was one of these students. The individuals who believed in me helped me on my path to reaching my goals and helped me believe in myself.  Having been raised by a single mother, there wasn’t a lot of extra money for college. In addition to money I’d saved by working throughout high school and during college, the scholarship foundation paid for tuition at Seattle Central Community College, where I received a certificate in early childhood education. I then went on to the University of Washington and earned a degree in speech and hearing sciences. Years later I have returned to Vashon. My husband and I built a house here, we are raising three boys, and I am running a thriving preschool and licensed daycare.

I’m sure that not all of the scholarship recipients will return to Vashon to settle down and make their difference in the world, but wherever they land, they are contributing to their communities using the skills they’ve learned over the years, many of those beginning with their continuing education. I encourage you to contribute to these funds. You personally may never see the return on your investment, but you are making a difference for future generations. Thank you Vashon, for what you’ve done for me!

— Jenny DeFiglia Mickelson