LETTERS FROM OUR AWARD WINNERS

Margarite Bechis (2007), University of New Hampshire
Although this letter is a good two months late, the thanks I hope to convey to you and the rest of the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation will never be outdated. In December, I used the majority of the $10,000 I was given to pay for next semester's tuition - the rest I will use for books and part of next year's tuition. I was so proud to be able to pay my tuition on my own. Relief swept through me to find out that the scholarship prevented my family from digging a deeper hole of debt.

...I also wanted to congratulate and thank everyone who worked so hard to make the awards gala a memorable night for everyone. I was very excited to come to Chicago to receive the scholarship, traveling 24 hours from New Hampshire to Chicago with my boyfriend. The room in which the ceremony was held was, for lack of a better word, gorgeous. I loved the interior architecture and appreciated the humor of the night's host.

I had not really talked a lot about the award to my boyfriend other than the fact that I was enamored to be awarded it. That night, at the ceremony, the many gala speakers gave him as well as my mother a reason to be even prouder of my accomplishment. Many times, I actually wish I could relive that night as it unfolded, because everything - the gala room, the speakers, the attentive look on people's faces, and even the food � was so special to me.

Thank you for recognizing me. I hope that one day I will be able to contribute to your Foundation.

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