Cynthia Leon, City College of New York

My name is Cynthia Leon. I am currently in the first semester of my fourth year here at the City College of New York. I am a Biology and Psychology major on the pre-med track. When I first got into college, I met up with an advisor who told me that my major choices would take more than four years to complete. When I heard this, I was alarmed since this meant that an extra year would involve payment on my part (excluding financial aid). Also, if I wanted to abridge the time towards graduation, I would have to pay out of pocket for winter and summer courses. On top of this, I had to pay for transportation, meals, and materials needed for my courses. Fortunately, I was able to receive financial help from the Ellen Knowles Harcourt Scholarship. The founders of the Harcourt Scholarship assured me that I can rely on them when I had outstanding balances from the Bursar that needed to be paid off or to cover the cost of books. Additionally, they would cover the cost of my transportation and any other college-related expenses. The financial support I received, as well as the moral support, relieved me from the stress and burden of my financial plight.