Purdue University

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University Development Office

Lydia Hlebasko - Presidential Scholarship recipient

Lydia Hlebasko“Scholarships have such a huge impact on student lives. They remove or reduce the financial hurdle so students are able to put more focus and effort on the learning aspect of a college education,” says Lydia Hlebasko, recipient of a Presidential Scholarship.

The impact of this scholarship on her success is evident. A busy and accomplished young woman, Hlebasko is one of Purdue’s Five Students Who are STATEment Makers. With the burden of trying to figure out how the tuition will be paid gone, she has more time to focus on her studies. Pursuing a double major – computer science and visual communication design – she was part of the ITaP Academic Technologies group that helped develop the Android app for a new educational technology, DoubleTake, and worked as part of that team this summer on a new academic technology project to be released for use within the next two semesters.

Hlebasko believes it is important to express gratitude for the scholarship, either with a verbal thank you or letter to the donor, and to give back. “A single scholarship will create a ripple effect and impact the lives of many students to come, especially if those students who receive aid pay it forward and fund a scholarship for someone from the next generation.”