Amarilis

It's easy to forget that the students we're supporting today will be the people caring for our families, teaching our children, leading businesses, and giving back to our community in just a few years and the many decades to come.

Support looks and feels different for everyone, but the reality is that it only takes one small gesture to change someone's life. An encouraging word, a piece of advice, your time, your wisdom, or a generous donation can be the reason someone believes they're on the right path and finds the strength to keep going.

I know this because I lived it.

When I was 16, someone shared a resource with me that introduced me to a three-day program focused on teaching about higher education to high school students. I had only been in the U.S. for a few years and had no idea how the college system worked. That one conversation became a turning point in my life.

At the end of the three-day program, during the closing ceremony in the Burruss Auditorium at Virginia Tech, the emcee began describing the recipient of a scholarship for the female student who stood out the most, someone who was kind, involved, always willing to help, enthusiastic, and had a big heart. I remember sitting there thinking about who it could be... until they called my name.

Walking across that stage, I was in complete disbelief. It was my very first college scholarship, but what stayed with me wasn't the award itself. It was the realization that people I had never met believed in me enough to invest in my future. Their belief made me dream bigger. For the first time, higher education in the United States felt difficult, but possible.

That was only the beginning. NOVA became the bridge that turned that possibility into reality. Scholarships and angels reminded me that I was on the right path.

Today, I have the privilege of witnessing that same impact on other students. I see and hear the relief they feel when they don't have to choose between buying groceries and staying in school. I see the hope they regain when someone believes in them. And I know that, in just a few years, many of these students will be the ones giving back to our community.

That's why I'm supporting NOVA's Nighthawk Nest. No student should have to worry about where their next meal is coming from while working toward their dreams. Sometimes, it only takes one small act of generosity to change the course of someone's life. Mine is proof of that.

If you're able, I'd be so grateful if you considered making a gift. Every donation will be matched, doubling your impact. Thank you for believing in our students and investing in the future we'll all share!