A fellow member of Inlet Grove Community High school recently did something amazing that probably will make you want to chip in some community service hours.

Sharadyanne Salomon, a senior, just won a cool $20,000 scholarship from the Veterans Administration Hospital, thanks in large part to the many hours of volunteering she does there.

She didn’t expect to win, she said, since her English is not the best and with students from schools in all 50 states competing.

The chef at the hospital nominated Sharadyanne for the national scholarship. She still had to write seven essays.  Each had specific questions, such as, “What do you do as a volunteer?” Her second essay was on her achievements from volunteering.

Sharadyanne said she has been working on her volunteer hours since her 10th grade year. She received credit for 800 volunteer hours from the Veterans Administration  Hospital alone. In total she has an astonishing 2,125 hours.

Of course, everyone needs help; it is the secret to successes, and in Sharadyanne’s case, getting free college money.  Her English instructor and mentor, Rachel Mathias, helped with grammar issues that might have needed correcting.

This is not the first scholarship Sharadyanne has won. She received a scholarship last year at the same hospital in an essay contest similar to this one. She won a $1,000, and the interesting thing about that one is she was nominated anonymously; to this day she does not know who recommended her.  It’s another sign of how skilled this student is.

Sharadyanne’s story is amazing because between schoolwork and helping taking care of her five siblings, she also has the burden of being a breadwinner for her family, with a full-time job at a retail store.

Asked what advice she would give other students in getting a scholarship like hers, she said: “Be patient, don’t let your parents force you, do what you love.”

Sharadyanne is thinking of attending the Indian State College. Not surprisingly, she started applying the night before.