Washington Senior Wins Student Video Scholarship Contest
Washington Senior Wins Student Video Scholarship Contest
Brian Roder Awarded $1000 to Pursue Education
WEST DES MOINES, IOWA (Jan. 24, 2011) — Brian Roder, a senior at Washington High
School in Washington, Iowa, won $1,000 for his college education through a student video
contest conducted by the Iowa College Access Network®
(ICAN).
The Student Video Contest asked students
to submit an original video depicting the
importance of college planning or financial
aid. Voting was then opened up to the
general public and participants were
encouraged to coordinate with their school
and community to increase voter turnout.
“Winning is exciting. My friends were
excited, I heard “Roder, voted for you today”
like 800 million times,” said Roder about the
process of getting votes for his video and
winning the scholarship. Roder plans to
attend the University of Iowa and is considering education, criminal justice or architecture as
a major.
Roder learned about the scholarship contest through an ICAN presentation at his school.
Roder is the oldest in his family, with two younger brothers and a sister. Roder and his parents attended the free event, a presentation that details out the financial aid and
scholarship process, as well as reviews the FAFSA form.
“I found out about the scholarship contest from Lupe, at the financial aid night, so thanks to
her.” ICAN will distribute the money directly to the University to pay for tuition and fees when
Roder enters college next fall.
The contest was part of an annual scholarship program provided by ICAN. “This was the first
year for the video-style submission,” said Juan Garcia, executive director of ICAN. “We look
for ways to reach students in a creative way. So many scholarships required essays, we
wanted to look at current trends and get students to use technology and really think about
what the real message behind college planning is. What is the real importance of education
and what opportunities can it lead to.”
Students who plan to continue their education after high school shouldn’t hesitate to apply
for scholarships. “More students than ever are looking for funding for college. It’s a sign of
the times. But opportunities are out there,” said Garcia. “Understanding the expense of a
college education and being proactive about finding funds is the first step for students. For
ICAN, it’s rewarding to be part of the process and award these students money to help them
pursue their dreams.”
To view the winning video and other student submissions, visit
www.ICANsucceed.org/videocontest. For additional scholarship opportunities, student can
start with the free scholarship search on the ICAN website,
www.ICANsucceed.org/scholarships. The site also offers plenty of advice on how to plan for,
apply to, pay for and succeed in education.
