Sydney C. – Two Ten Scholar,

Ripon College, Class of 2015

“My name is Sydney, and this year I became fortunate enough to receive one of the Two Ten Scholarships.”

For two summers, I worked for Red Wing Shoe Company in Red Wing, MN as a summer temp in the factory, and it was an experience! My dad is a full-time supervisor at S.B. Foot and Tanning in Red Wing, MN, and many years ago, my mom also worked for Red Wing Shoe Company in the Accounting Office so the shoe industry has been embedded into my family’s lifestyle for many years now. Red Wing Shoe and the Tannery both have been great companies for my family to work for, especially for me as college student seeking working experience and new opportunities.

When it came to my education, I personally chose to seek out a private education in an effort to gain one-on-one interactions with my professors, small classroom sizes, and a closer sense of community within my education. I love my college and the knowledge I am receiving; both in Politics and Government and Economics, but it’s worrisome to think about the debt that accompanies this wonderful opportunity. I am very fortunate to have scholarships and grants through my school, but it doesn’t cover everything.

With the help of foundations like the Two Ten Footwear Foundation, the financial burden of higher education is eased for students like me. In an ever growing and competitive world, it’s important to have some level of higher education, and when a scholarship becomes available the way this one did, things become a little bit easier.

I was more than thrilled when I received the email from Two Ten acknowledging me as a recipient; in fact, I was ecstatic. Please know that I am truly grateful for the scholarship, and it will help tremendously by taking away the need to take out more loans. I am eager for the day that I will be able to make my personal contribution to the scholarship fund to help more students, as it will help me.”