Foreclosure.com formally announces the winners of its 2009 scholarship program
The results are in. More than 1,000 current and/or college-bound students nationwide answered the call during the 2009 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program, submitting essays of 1,000 words or more on ‘How to Solve the Foreclosure Crisis.’ Andrew Dewar, a senior at Kennesaw State University located in Kennesaw, Ga., however, was voted to the head of the class by [...]
2009 Scholarship Program $5,000 winner, Andrew Dewar
The results are in.
More than 1,000 current and/or college-bound students nationwide answered the call during the 2009 Foreclosure.com Scholarship Program, submitting essays of 1,000 words or more on ‘How to Solve the Foreclosure Crisis.’
Andrew Dewar, a senior at Kennesaw State University located in Kennesaw, Ga., however, was voted to the head of the class by our panel of judges, winning the $5,000 top prize.
“It’s been thrilling to hear the news — I’m so thankful that Foreclosure.com put this together,” said Andrew, a former business owner and new father of a one-year-old baby girl, Avery. “I have some personal experience with [foreclosure. So this was just a natural extension of trying to solve my own mini housing crisis.
“This is tremendous — it’s so generous,” he continued. “Being an adult student and father, there are a lot of costs that come with going back to school … there is a lot at stake. So the $5,000 will pay for at least an entire semester at Kennesaw State. It’s huge.”
The program, which ran from Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2009, also awarded four $1,000 scholarships to the contest semifinalists:
- Mark Cantora a law student at Hofstra University School of Law in Hempstead, New York
- Kelly Kinkade from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan
- Elizabeth Panella from the Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts
- Luke Paulsen from Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey
In addition to the five cash prizes in the form of scholarships, totaling $9,000, these plans will be sent to Congress and to President Barack Obama himself as soon as possible.
“The suggestions that were laid out in the essays were well thought out and I would hope that Congress and President Obama will take notice,” said Foreclosure.com Director of Education, Linda Yates. “This crisis will affect the next generation so it is important to get their fresh perspectives on such an important issue.”
To read Andrew’s winning essay, as well as the others from our four semifinalists, please visit the Foreclosure.com scholarship page right here. Remember to also check out our video interview with Andrew right here.
In addition to all the students who responded, Foreclosure.com would like to acknowledge the esteemed panel of judges who selected the five finalists:
- Jeanette Francis, Ph.D., Lynn University
- Kermit Lind, J.D., Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
- Susan Wachter, University of Pennsylvania
- Michael Kraten, PH.D., CPA, Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University
- Maureen Kraten MBA, CMC, Sacred Heart University
“We were extremely impressed with the variety of ideas and concepts submitted by all the students,” said Luanne Bryant, who coordinated the scholarship effort for Foreclosure.com. “From the far-fetched to the exceptionally insightful, we received the full gamut of solutions to the foreclosure crisis. Based on the success of this program, we will attempt to find other ways to keep it alive in 2010 and beyond for the benefit of college students, and struggling homeowners, throughout the nation.”
