York Community High School senior Amanda Bardhoshi was recently awarded a $20,000 scholarship by the HEAR (Health, Education and Relief) Foundation. The HEAR Foundation’s mission is to provide financial and mentoring support to Chicagoland high school graduates of need, who have demonstrated academic excellence, commitment to community, and highest moral character in pursuing their dream of a college education. Amanda was one of 16 seniors to receive a HEAR scholarship this spring.
Known as the HEAR Class of 2021 (in reference to their expected year of college graduation), scholarship winners will be attending top universities throughout the United States, including Drake University, St. Edwards University, De Paul, Yale, Dartmouth College, Marquette and Boston College, to name a few. The HEAR Class of 2021 is the largest yet for the HEAR Foundation. This class takes the Foundation past its goals of awarding over 50 scholarships and committing over $1 million to helping deserving students in financial need achieve their dream of a college education.
A special awards ceremony and celebration of the new HEAR Class of 202 was held on Thursday, May 11th.
Amanda has a cumulative GPA of 4.592 on a 4-point scale. She remains on the YCHS high honor roll, and was impressively inducted to York’s National Honor Society, based on her grades and merit outside of school. In addition to this, she was also accepted into the National Spanish Honor Society and received the Seal of Biliteracy this year at York.
When Amanda is not devoting time to her education, she keeps busy playing the violin (grade 9-12). This is a very committed skill that she continues to excel in. She has also demonstrated her aptitude in government and law by participating in the Future Diplomats of America (9-12) and the Law Team (9-12). Outside of school, you can find her volunteering at Elmhurst Hospital.
“Amanda is a first generation American, as such, she is experiencing many firsts in her family She is the first to go through the college application process, and she has done so seamlessly. While there is a lot of pressure in being the first to go through this, it never hinders her. Instead, we see her pushing harder and remaining motivated toward pursuing her dreams,” explains her guidance counselor, Trisha Weber.
