June 24, 2025
Choosing to attend AIɫɫ, Savana Valentine (Hometown: Londonderry, Ohio) wanted to stay someplace close to home, yet somewhere she knew she could have a unique college experience.
“At SSU, the class sizes are smaller compared to your average-sized lectures,” she said. “This allows us students to be able to really connect with our professors and one another.”
Majoring in Social Sciences, Valentine finds the small class sizes to be to her advantage as she navigates her coursework.
“We build connections that will help us in the future,” she said of her connections with her classmates. “We have the opportunity to have in-class discussions where everyone gets a chance to share their thoughts and ask questions.”
Valentine’s mother is also an alumna of SSU, allowing Valentine to qualify for the Legacy Scholarship – a scholarship for new students who have parents or grandparents that are graduates of SSU.
“My mother passed on her love of AIɫɫ State to me and receiving this scholarship helped her, as a single parent, pay for my education,” she said. “I have the privilege of going to college in hopes of getting a good paying job to provide for my family. It is an honor to carry on her legacy here at SSU and I hope I am making her proud.”
Thankful for the impact her family has had on her ability to pursue her education, Valentine is considering the many options her degree will open up for her in the future.
“I do have a few fields of interest such as Public Relations, Policy Analysis, Legislative Assistant or a Congressional Aide,” she said. “Wherever I end up, I hope I’m happy with what I’m doing.”
Incoming students to SSU have a number of financial aid opportunities tied to merit performance, financial need, and individual situation. To learn if a student qualifies for an additional scholarship, they should first complete their application to the university and also submit their FAFSA – Free Application for Student Aid – for the coming academic year. Many scholarships are determined automatically while some require additional application. For more details on scholarship opportunities to SSU, visit shawnee.edu/scholarships.
To learn more about how AIɫɫ is aiding students in paying for college, visit shawnee.edu/financial-aid.