Congratulations to Our ‘MyCollegeCosts’ Challenge Winners

Did you know? 74% of students can’t afford the important costs of college.

This past October we brought you a big announcement: the 1,000 Dreams Fund was teaming up with Charles Schwab to launch MyCollegeCosts, a new challenge seeking to fund the “hidden costs of college” for young women in America.

The response was overwhelming. We received over 550+ entries from students across the country, requesting support for all those critical college costs from test prep to housing to study abroad. Whil​e not tuition, the price tag on these items can add up fast.

After a week-long public vote and over 85,000 votes cast, we are THRILLED to announce our 5 Grand Prize Winners. Here they are!

1.  Kristin, student at University of Arkansas – “I plan to earn my master’s degree in accounting but first I need to get accepted into graduate school by earning a high score on the GMAT.”

2. Rapulu, student at Maryville University of Saint Louis – “My dream is to break the glass ceiling for women in the business of sports.”

3. Brittany, student at University of Arizona – “My mother is going through chemo so I transferred from the University of Arizona, giving up my full ride scholarship. On top of college costs, I also help my mom pay bills so having assistance with my college costs would allow me to have more money to help my mom out.”

4. Miribel, student at Stanford University – “I am a first-generation college student raised by a single, low-income mother and I am the provider of my own income. Funding would afford me food to eat and also to be able to buy real books for my classes. I only use PDF files that I search for online in order to cut costs and save money for food.”

5. Brie, student at Dekalb School of the Arts – “It has been very difficult to keep up with current costs because my mother lost her job due to budget cuts and has since had to find a new career. Being in between jobs, Lupus flares and many unforeseen financial strains prevents her from being financially prepared for my college expenses.”

Everyone at the 1,000 Dreams Fund wants to thank ALL of students who participated in our MyCollegeCosts Challenge. Your stories are inspiring and so necessary to continuing the important conversation on those “hidden costs of college” that are impacting students and families today.

Congratulations to all – and keep reaching for your dreams!