Nelson Vecchione, a dear friend, and family member, had dedicated his life to helping people find a ‘second chance’ at life. By offering guidance and mentorship to people in recovery or with conviction records, he was committed to the betterment of others through his practice.
Everyone deserves a second chance, and Nelson believed the spirit of giving someone the opportunity to prove themselves would manifest in creating a new generation of leaders.
Offering a second chance to one person may pay dividends down the line as well, as that person may give another person a second chance, continuing the cycle of giving. You can make a difference, not only for yourself but for others.
To honor Nelson’s legacy and to continue his life’s work to help those that need another chance at life, the Second Chance Scholarship will be awarded to one student who has experienced adversity in their life and is ready to make a change for the better.
Why do you want to make a change in your life? What steps have you taken thus far to bring you closer to your goal, and how do you think this scholarship will help you? What do you plan to do to pay it forward to someone else?
“She might not be in accelerated classes.” “Amber is never getting a driver’s license.” “Your daughter will never go to college.” When a physician’s words diagnosed four-year-old me with autism, my parents were shocked and heartbroken. For three days, my distraught mother sobbed about how her special-needs daughter would struggle in life while my distressed father questioned what solution there would be. Finally, my mother’s emotions shifted from despair to determination, and my father swallowed his doubt. My parents decided to start working on how to motivate me.
It took years for my folks to urge my motivation. They encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone, but I refused to cooperate. I had no interest in reading to myself. Trying out for clubs and sports was not my style. All I preferred eating was chicken nuggets, cheese pizza, and burritos. Childish habits of watching useless tv shows and movies, reading books too easy for my level, playing obnoxious music, and throwing tantrums, went on for ages.
By early adolescence, the question of “What am I doing?” hit me. Figuring out how I wasted time with nonsense, my act shaped up. I transformed from an immature, picky-eater not wanting to complete her homework; to a young teenager willing to clean her plate and execute her schoolwork. My socialization still needed work, but I began befriending multiple people. What needed growth was my willingness to step out of my comfort zone.
Around late elementary school, a spark of wanting to be a writer ignited. The only problem was not feeling ready to push my limits. Even after winning an Ohio State Fair Agriculture Essay Scholarship in fifth grade, my opinion still did not change about leaving my comfort zone. Attending Thurber House writing classes and Power of the Pen never helped stimulate impulses in publishing novels. Unfortunately, my dream of becoming a writer faded.
One day in eighth-grade, my algebra-one teacher mentioned the new college credit plus program. Initially, I wanted to decline. Later, my parents explained that I could skip a grade by taking college courses earlier. Those words “skip a grade” lit my eyes. Although most of my friends are younger than me, I used to feel uncomfortable being the eldest. That memory taught me that my wings would stay folded up for not challenging myself. I finally started appreciating my strong academic talents and joined this college program. Still, I wanted to take the easy way out.
Leading up to my high school junior year, I began enjoying mathematics. My precalculus teacher structured her course to be a casual conversation, interesting me more than photography, my chosen major back then. After my father convinced me to become an actuary, he played ‘The Accountant’ movie. While I do not desire entanglement in situations protagonist Christian Wolff encountered, the thought of becoming an actuary or accountant captivated me. I started thanking my past-self for equipping math, and regretting not appreciating math sooner.
For a second chance, I need to win this scholarship for university. My plans are to attend the honor college of Otterbein University, a private four-year university, to double major in math and actuarial science for a bachelor’s degree. Its total cost is $46,562, and earning $31,130 in scholarships and $5,500 in loans is still not enough. This will be a make-up to my parents, who still pay their student loans for almost thirty years. I risk of being in debt because I have autism. My parents raised me to have a better future and deserve more for me.
Pennsylvania State University-Penn State HarrisburgMilroy, PA
At the early age of four, I stood behind a closed bathroom door yelling, “Mom, please let me in, I have to go to the bathroom so bad!” “Just stay out there for a second.” I was told, as my bladder grew heavier. I couldn’t hold it anymore, so I finally burst into the bathroom, even though my mother had told me to wait. I looked up at her and saw a bra strap squeezing her bicep and a needle in her vein. Immediately I knew what she was doing and unfortunately it wasn’t the only time I had seen something like that. On multiple occasions, I walked into the living room to see my mother passed out on the couch, barely responsive because she took too many pills. Or I would walk into the bathroom and see her passed out on the toilet. I look back now and feel bad for my mom. She probably turned to drugs because she was raising two kids by herself while making less than minimum wage. My dad wasn’t able to help out much because he was in prison just about every year of my childhood. He would get out for a few months, steal something or get caught with drugs, and end up back in prison for a couple of years. When I was about six years old I had to live with my gram because my mom and dad both ended up in prison. My gram is my savior and the most selfless person I’ve ever met. She took in my brother and me while working the night shift at a cabinet factory. She didn’t make a lot of money and a lot of the time we barely had groceries. If there wasn’t enough of something we had, and she couldn’t afford more, she always ensured that my brother and I had what we needed before she considered herself. I always did good in grade school but in middle school, I hit a rough patch. I started hanging with the wrong people and making wrong choices. I was out one night with friends way past curfew, and the cops stopped us. I got a fine for being out past curfew and I was taken back to my gram’s house. Of course, when I got home I was getting yelled at, so I started acting like I didn’t care about my future and that I would be just fine. However, in the back of my mind, I felt so ashamed for disappointing my gram. This woman raised me to be the opposite of my parents. She wanted me to have a bright future with a good education, she didn’t want me to end up doing drugs and going to prison, like my parents. That is when I realized that I needed to do something great in my life, I didn’t want to end up like my parents. I stopped talking to the people I was getting in trouble with and got a better group of friends. I started to do better in school, I went from getting C’s and D’s to straight A’s. There is no better feeling than bringing my report cards home and seeing my gram teary-eyed, telling me how proud she is. My next step to better my future would be becoming one of the first people in my family to get a college degree. I want to prove to everyone, especially my gram, that I will end up nothing like my parents and I will do something great with my future.
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The application deadline is Mar 9, 2025. Winners will be announced on Apr 9, 2025.
How will scholarship application information be used?
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What is the scholarship award?
Award amounts per winner are designated by the donor. Check the award amount for a detailed breakdown.
When will the scholarship winner be chosen? How will they be notified?
The winner will be publicly announced on Apr 9, 2025. Prior to the announcement date, we may contact finalists with additional questions about their application. We will work with donors to review all applications according to the scholarship criteria. Winners will be chosen based on the merit of their application.
How will the scholarship award be paid?
Award checks will be sent to the financial aid office of the winner's academic institution or future academic institution in their name to be applied to their tuition, and in the name of their institution (depending on the school's requirements). If the award is for a qualified educational non-tuition expense, we will work with the winner directly to distribute the award and make sure it goes towards qualified expenses.
How will my scholarship application be verified?
Before we award the scholarship, the winner will be required to confirm their academic enrollment status. Depending on the circumstances, verification of Student ID and/or their most recent transcript will be required.
How should I get in touch with questions?
If you have any questions about this scholarship or the Bold.org platform, just email contact@bold.org and we’ll get back to you as quickly as we can.
Does the scholarship have terms and conditions?
Yes. The terms and conditions for this scholarship can be found here.