Scholarship Support: a game-changer for Sealey Raymond
By Frances Badgett
When considering colleges to attend, Montana native Sealey Raymond ('23) knew a few things: she wanted to attend college in Washington or Oregon, she wanted to study psychology or biology, and she wanted a campus that offered leadership opportunities. She also knew that as an out-of-state student financing her education independently, she would need financial support.
She had committed to a university, had been assigned a roommate and was readying to attend. She had visited Western two weeks prior and loved the campus community, the camaraderie of the students she met, and she had heard about a program that sounded interesting: behavioral neuroscience (BNS). At 11:30 PM on National Decision Day, the midnight deadline looming, she changed her mind.
“I just knew Western would be the right place for me. And the George Ament Presidential Scholarship was the only reason I was able to attend.”
And she’s so glad she did. Her experiences serving on the hall council of Nash her freshman year and currently working as a student ambassador for the WWU Foundation have given her the leadership opportunities she was seeking. And she is a dedicated student in BNS. Earlier this year, she had the opportunity to participate in a neurosurgery internship with retired neurosurgeon David Goldman.
Sealey has also received the BNS scholarship, which allowed her to reduce her twice weekly 12-hour workdays as a medical scribe. The Student Emergency Fund supported her during the COVID-19 pandemic when the medical office where she worked closed. And her student ambassador scholarship has allowed her to focus on academics.
“BNS is the perfect mix of psychology and human biology. Dr. Kaplan was amazing and really helped me focus my interest and Andrea Swanson helped me set my goals to graduate.”
“It’s a game-changer. I don’t have to take out a giant student loan. I’m able to do internships without having to work a day job, and I can just focus on being a student.”