Below is the essay written by the winner of the 2004 Frank O'Neill Memorial Scholarship, Diana Otalvaro. Congratulations Diana!

I began my studies at Worcester Polytechnic Institute facing many economic uncertainties but with a firm purpose: to graduate from the institution as one of the best and most prepared Chemical Engineers and Material Scientists. I decided then, and continue to pursue now with unyielding determination, that I would confront each obstacle as it came and that, albeit recognizing the looming economic difficulties, I would work hard to guarantee a future for myself.

I was born in Cali, Colombia to a man and a woman who have risen from poverty through their own means to become astonishing, indefatigable professionals and insuperable parents, hence I know that lack of funds is not a sentence to failure, but instead is an obstacle to be overcome through hard work.

The Colombian economy is by no standards a bounteous one, we have suffered a severe and prolonged economic crisis that dates from the mid-nineties and is only now showing symptoms of recovery. In addition, the devaluation of the Colombian peso with respect to the dollar is astronomical, with figures of 2700 pesos for each dollar, thus making expenses here stratospherically high. Despite those limitations, however, both my brother and I have embarked in our education here in the US because we recognize the excellence of this country's institutions and the promising future this land offers to science. Because excellence does not come at a small price, I have assumed the responsibility of financing my own education through my work, convinced that in the near future I will be rewarded amply for it in the form of knowledge, opportunities and a promising career.

I am fascinated with science; I consider it my muse and companion, for it does not cease to astonish me with the vastness of its possibilities. My passion for science will guide me through my undergraduate studies in which I am currently involved in a novel and fascinating research program, my graduate studies in which I intend to investigate the interactions of metals and organic complexes- organometallic compounds-, my doctoral studies and through a career as a professor, when I will devote my life to further uncovering the complex interaction of molecules in materials and learn how to manipulate them for a deliberate objective. I am already aboard this ship, as I am presently working for the Chemical Engineering Department's Fuel Cell Research Program, where we investigate means of hydrogen separation through inorganic membranes. The project is part of an ongoing effort to investigate and develop alternative sources of energy, and the results are promising. This is one of the jobs I hold, one that was preceded by a job in the Institute's Cafeteria and one that in the upcoming, my sophomore year will be accompanied by a position as a Peer Learning Assistant for Differential Equations. These two jobs will total 20 hours per week, which is the maximum permitted by my VISA status, but is, unfortunately, insufficient to cover the whole of my tuition. As a non-resident I am unable to apply for student loans and even if I were able to do so I would be unable to cope with a debt in dollars.

During my freshman year I received a $5000 dollars scholarship from the Margaret Sander's Foundation, a scholarship that is awarded to one student in each continent with the exception of North America, I was the South American recipient. For the upcoming year, however, I will not be unable to depend on such money and, hence I am confronted with a void in my finances. So stated my situation sound discouraging, but it blossoms with the colors of hope when I think of a future when I will be deciphering the enigmas of Material Sciences, and I know now that such future will be reached through the path I am following today.

The Frank O'Neill award would allow me to continue my education fully, without the impending threat of interruptions and the tranquility of mind to devote my undivided attention to physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering and all the other courses not listed in catalogues or course descriptions but that are lived daily with friends and partners and that make college experience and life rich and memorable. Although I will continue to apply to other scholarships in order to supplement my finances, the Frank O' Neill Award would most certainly be greatly helpful. At the moment my parents are unable to provide much funds, since recently they have become grandparents to my brother's beautiful baby daughter, whose sustenance cannot be fully financed by my brother until he concludes his present studies. Aggravatingly, the cost of education in my university has increased by a significant 4.3% thus increasing my tuition by approximately US$1010. Combined with the difficult financial situation the university is undergoing, which inhibits it to provide more financial aid, and my condition as an international student with the ensuing limitations in aid in the form of scholarships or loans that it implies, this represents a ticking clock that reminds me daily that I might be halted in my pursuits.

I have heard say that education is the key to success and the answer to the world's most pressing problems. I don't believe that to be the case. Education itself is meaningless if not accompanied by an inextinguishable desire to educate oneself. Not a passive verb, education is proactive and reflexive and consists of a deliberate desire to apprehend teachings and experiences with full awareness of their meaning and value. This approach to education and to life is what I am convinced guarantees me a path of knowledge and discovery, which, I hope, shall never again be louded by the ambiguity of economic concerns.

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