Liam Thrailkill

Grand Forks

At the end of January I wrote in under the title of “Don’t Punish Academic Achievement.” To catch up those who may have missed it, I was not being awarded my final $750 per semester scholarship payment because I was not taking enough credits to qualify.

That might seem reasonable on the surface, but in my position I needed less than the required full-time amount to graduate; also, I was graduating in four years with my bachelors degree and masters degree. Essentially, I was being penalized by over-achieving. This was concerning for me, so I reached out to some legislators to see if anything could be done.

It took up until just a couple weeks ago, but I finally received some good news that the language was amended to a bill and students in my situation would no longer be punished for academic achievement. I wanted to take an opportunity to thank Representatives Corey Mock and Cynthia Schreiber-Beck, and especially Senator Erin Oban for helping make the change. Though I am graduating May 11th and won’t get to see the change personally, I am grateful for the opportunities it will open for others. Thank you for standing up for education; your hard work does not go unnoticed.