Sofia Williams, a former Editor-in-Chief of La Vista and incoming freshman at Stanford University, has been named a 2024 Milken Scholar and awarded a $10,000 scholarship.
This prestigious honor is part of the Milken Scholars Program, an initiative by the Milken Institute and the Milken Family Foundation. The program recognizes exceptional high school seniors from Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York City, offering a comprehensive support system that includes college advising, career counseling, internships, and other valuable resources.
Williams learned about the Milken Scholarship opportunity through an email from the College Career Center (CCC). “I discovered the scholarship through the CCC and applied using the form provided in the email,” Williams said, “the application process required submitting a written application, which included my college application materials and three essays. I then had an interview with three senior board members.”
The Milken Scholars Program, which has been selecting outstanding students for over three decades, annually recognizes more than 560 scholars from over 200 high schools. These recipients come from diverse economic backgrounds and interests and go on to attend some of the nation’s top colleges and universities. Sofia was one of eight recipients in the Los Angeles County.
Williams received the news of her scholarship during a Zoom call with Evelyn Torres, the senior director of the program. “I first learned I had won the scholarship during a Zoom call. I had received an email asking for my availability for a 15-minute call but didn’t know whether it was about good news or not, so I was quite nervous,” Williams recalled, “When Evelyn told me I had won, I could hardly believe it. This scholarship means so much to me and my family, and I’m incredibly grateful for this opportunity.”
At Stanford University, Williams plans to study comparative literature and public policy, with aspirations of pursuing a career in journalism. She encourages other students to remain persistent in their scholarship applications, regardless of the challenges they may face.
“If you come across a scholarship and think there’s no way you’ll get it or you don’t have a chance, just go for it,” Williams advises. “I applied for the Milken Scholarship thinking I might never win, but I decided to try for every possible scholarship. I applied to over a dozen before receiving the Milken Scholarship. Don’t be discouraged by rejections—you never know what could happen.”
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