BEYOND: further, outside limits

I created The BEYOND Scholarship to help students who desire to attend a college or university out-of-state. In 2014, graduated from Jefferson High School in Portland, OR and went on to attend the school that was #1 on my list, Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. However, getting there was NOT easy. I worked my butt off to finish high school with a 4.0 cumulative GPA so that I could get scholarships for college and not have to pay anything out of pocket…that didn’t go as planned. In 2014, it was $36,000/year for me to attend LSU as an out-of-state student. I was blessed to be awarded by a few scholarship funds and I definitely wouldn’t be where I am without them, but there was still a large portion of my fee bill that was uncovered. Having working parents that are married disqualified me from everything FAFSA had to offer except unsubsidized loans. I got turned down from multiple scholarships because my financial need wasn’t “great enough” in their eyes compared to students with different family situations. Now if you would've ask my parents if they had an extra $36,000 laying around to pay to LSU each year they would tell you absolutely not, so the fact that I was getting turned down by so many scholarships was very frustrating for us.

“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.” 
Ephesians 3:20

        On May 10, 2019 I graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. I had the time of my life in Louisiana and learned so much being 2,400+ miles away from home. I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience their college years away from their hometown and out of their comfort zone. I made unforgettable memories and met people from all over the world, but most importantly, I met myself. Being an out-of-state student definitely has its challenges due to all of the adjusting and settling you have to do, but the good definitely outweighs the bad. Through my years at LSU I became my own, independent person and my relationship with God grew stronger because He was really the only person from home with me.

“Through pain, God reveals purpose.”

        From my experience as an out-of-state student and the disappointments and doubts that came as I was looking for ways to pay for college, God has placed it on my heart to help students that are currently in the same predicament I was in. This scholarship is not based on your family or parents' income AT ALL, this scholarship is simply to help you spread your wings and fly, away from home, to experience that which is BEYOND what you've always known.
-Ashley N. Merriweather