Dear Donor:

Thank you for your generous award to me from the Anna Augusta Von Helmholtz Phelan
Scholarship. The scholarship you have awarded me will help immensely with financing my
education. Your support is helping me reach my goal of graduating in December 2012 with a
bachelors degree in English Literature.
I grew up in Mankato, MN and came to the University of Minnesota as a transfer student in the
spring of 2010. I chose to transfer to the U of M for its outstanding liberal arts education. At the
U, I have been able to receive a wonderful education while managing my finances with the
public institution.
I love studying literature and exploring the different ideas and ideologies that are represented in
that literature, as well as looking at the different characters and the way that different plots are
woven together. My favorite area is 19th Century Russian literature. I recently finished The
Brothers Karamazov and I found it to be one of the best novels I have ever read. Along with my
major in English I am pursuing a minor in American Indian Studies. I recently finished a UROP
project combining my two fields of study. I examined the differences in portrayals of ethnicity
along the frontier in John Tanners A Narrative of the Captivity and Adventures of John Tanner
(U.S. Interpreter at the Saut de Ste. Marie) and George Catlins Letters and Notes on the North
American Indians. This was a very rewarding experience for me, both in that it allowed me to do
some serious research in my fields of study, and that it allowed me to experience another side of
academic life that many undergraduates to not get the opportunity to explore.
After graduation, I hope to attend graduate school to receive an MFA in creative writing. I also
hope to be able to teach English abroad in order to gain a rewarding, life experience. I
eventually hope to take my MFA degree and experiences to fulfill my dream by becoming a
childrens book author. I am very interested in the publication and editing of novels, especially
in childrens literature. However, I would love to have a career that is related to any sort of
publication.
Again, thank you so much for this award. This scholarship has already changed my life by
giving me confidence in my writing. You have made it financially possible for me to continue
my education and I will be forever grateful for it. You are incredible people to contribute to a
students education, having never met me, and I consider myself lucky to be a recipient.
With gratitude,
Student Name

Kaylee Highstrom 6/5/12 11:05 AM

Comment: Begin with a word of thanks.

Kaylee Highstrom 6/5/12 11:04 AM

Comment: Include background information:
Where are you from? What brought you to
the U? Why did you choose CLA or your
major?

Kaylee Highstrom 6/5/12 11:08 AM

Comment: What are your current academic
interests? What do you love about your
major? What are your favorite classes or
experiences, so far? If you are an arts student,
are you involved in productions or
performances?

Kaylee Highstrom 6/5/12 11:02 AM

Comment: What are your goals? What do
you hope to accomplish during your time at
the U? What are your dreams for after
graduation?

Kaylee Highstrom 6/5/12 11:05 AM

Comment: Close with a word of thanks for
your award. What difference does your
scholarship make in your life? What does it
make possible for you that would be
otherwise impossible? What does it mean to
have the support of strangers?