An RIT student from Schenectady is one of 40 national scholarship winners this year, receiving $10,000 from Sallie Mae and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.

Amos Prince says he is thankful to his Schenectady High School Counselor for telling him to apply for scholarships. But he was still shocked when he learned the news.

“As soon as I read the email, I jumped out of bed and ran outside because my roommates were still sleeping,” he said. “Called my mom… at this point, I did not even read the full email, I just saw congratulations and that was good enough for me.

After attending Schenectady High School, he spent his upperclassman years getting his associate’s degree at Schenectady County Community College. He is now a freshman at RIT in the combined master’s program.

“For the first year, I receive this fund, so it makes school really affordable,” he said. “And it’s something I can do by myself. And having this financial freedom has really helped, and I don’t have to get an on-campus job my first year, which allocates more time to study and have more of a social life, which I also think is an important part in college.”

With 1,600 applications, Sallie Mae says Amos stood out for his exceptional academic performance and strong moral character. Now, his hard work is paying off. Caron Jackson, Sallie Mae’s Corporate Communications Manager, wants to encourage anyone interested in or currently attending college to apply for scholarships.

Since November is National Scholarship Month, we’re trying to remind students and families to actively seek out scholarships,”  Jackson said.

According to education data, over 1.8 million scholarships from private sources are awarded each year. Since paying for school can be challenging, Sallie Mae and its partners are trying to lessen the load by offering scholarships to deserving students. Jackson said these applications require minutes to apply.