Delaney grew up in the small town of Pasadena, Maryland – a very tight-knit community where everybody knows almost everybody. Here she spent almost 16 years of her life in her childhood home with her mom and younger brother until they had to move a few years after her parents’ divorce. “With the complications of my parent’s divorce causing stress for my family at home I focused most of my attention in middle and high school to dancing and my studies,” she said.
As Delaney entered high school at Northeast High School in Pasadena, MD, she found a close group of friends and began to join clubs that allowed her to help others and pursue her passions including Mentor Foundation USA’s Living the Example (LTE) program, the Students Against Destructive Decisions (S.A.D.D.), and the school’s dance company. ”The Living the Example program gave me a platform within the school community to be a positive role model for others and to promote safe and healthy decision making,” she said.
High school was difficult for Delaney with the tasks of balancing home life, studies, and extracurriculars. Delaney knew that if she wanted to go to a four-year college she needed to work as hard as she could to have the most opportunities possible. “Neither of my parents graduated college and I know how hard they work, especially my mom, to get me where I need to be,” she said.
Delaney was determined that she wanted to make a difference in other’s lives and further her education and knew that going to college was the next step in the right direction. Despite the ups and downs, she did just that. She graduated and got accepted to the University of Tampa. “Thanks to my family and I’s hard work and the scholarship from LTE and Mentor Foundation USA, I am attending the school of my dreams debt-free and have so many opportunities for my future I never thought possible,” she said.
“The college has changed my life in ways I never thought possible thanks to the people I have met and the experiences I have shared,” Delaney said. Delaney started as a Marine Bio major and then after some trials, tribulations, and some self-discovery, she realized that what she truly wants to do in life is to help others. Delaney is now an Art Therapy major looking into going towards the route of psychology to eventually become a counselor or therapist. “I am so grateful for everything I have experienced, and I can’t wait to see what the future has to offer,” she said.
I am extremely thankful to have been a recipient and this scholarship has helped to lift a burden off my family's shoulders in terms of the cost of higher education.
Delaney Hatfield
“The college has changed my life in ways I never thought possible thanks to the people I have met and the experiences I have shared,” Delaney said. Delaney started as a Marine Bio major and then after some trials, tribulations, and some self-discovery, she realized that what she truly wants to do in life is to help others. Delaney is now an Art Therapy major looking into going towards the route of psychology to eventually become a counselor or therapist. “I am so grateful for everything I have experienced, and I can’t wait to see what the future has to offer,” she said.
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