Dr. Loc Ngo, Marvin Rowell and Michelle Paden are just three of the almost 300 Tulsa area high school students who have become Simon Estes Educational Foundation Merit Scholars since 1983.

Jayne Reed, who co-founded the foundation with Estes, an internationally known opera star, said a new scholarship campaign started recently to keep up with today's rising education costs.  "In 23 years of operation, the foundation has witnessed a significant decline in the already depressed economic status of our applicants," said Reed, a registered nurse who serves as the foundation's chief executive officer.  "Students who previously would not have needed financial assistance to attend college," are now forced to seek help, Reed said.

In addition to the tough economic times hitting many families in this area of the country, college tuition has skyrocketed, increasing much faster than family incomes, she said.  Reed pointed out that the foundation doesn't just hand a check to its scholars. The organization also provides each scholar with mentors to offer educational and career guidance.

Its Adopt-A-Scholar program allows local corporations and individuals to partner with a scholar. Many mentors and scholars are paired because they share similar interests and career pursuits. The following scholars all came to the foundation board with a determination to succeed. With a scholarship, each found it.

Michelle Paden

Graduated from Hale High School in 1997. Graduated from Tulsa Community College's Nursing School in 2000.

Paden still remembers the faces of the foundation's board members when she came for her interview.  The foundation not only requires an essay and letters of recommendation, but finalists come in for a face-to-face interview.

Paden was nervous, but she didn't want to leave without each person knowing that she wouldn't let them down.  "They are all looking at you and asking questions," Paden remembered.  "It was kind of like the Miss America Pageant.  You didn't want to say something stupid.  But they were all really nice and told me to take my time.

"I told them I was determined.  Not to sound bad, but I told them with or without them, I would be going to school.  If they could choose me, that would really help.  I was smart and I felt like I had always had good grades and always been on the honor roll.  I always did what needed to be done."

Paden came from a single-mom family, without any help from her father.  She wanted to work in the medical field, but without some financial assistance, she would have to pay as she went to school.   No one had graduated from college in her family. The No. 1 reason was lack of money.

When she graduated from the Tulsa Community College Nursing School in 2000, Paden finished with a 4.0 GPA.  "The nursing program was tough," she said. "We started out with 198 students and only 42 of us graduated. But I felt really prepared."

Paden is a registered nurse in the Hillcrest Burn Center.  "I enjoy the work because we have a great team approach here," the 26-year-old said. "You really get to know the patients and their families because they have to stay so long."

She said her advice to those in high school sounds cheesy, but it's true.  "If there's a will, there is a way," she said. "That's what I found out."

Information
A scholarship campaign for the Simon Estes Educational Foundation is now under way. The goal is to raise $7 million by 2007. To donate or for more information about the foundation, call 583-0500.