We’re excited to announce that one of our very own student gorillas will be joining Tiger Nation at Fort Hays State University with a full-ride scholarship through the Schmidt Foundation Scholars program. Congratulations to Raeann Cordell on this high achievement!
“The Schmidt Foundation Scholars scholarship is a $16,000 award made possible through the generous gifts of the Schmidt Foundation. This amount includes 30 hours of tuition and fees for fall and spring courses, books, and room and board.”, as outlined on the FHSU Admissions Scholarship, Schmidt Foundation webpage.
Applications opened up September of 2025 allowing incoming college freshmen to apply through February 15th. Raeann completed the application in September and had to patiently wait to hear any news, which would come in March of 2026. While she was never discouraged about the outcome, she was anxious about the news. When the email came through stating she had moved onto round two, a zoom interview with the scholarship committee, things became a lot more real. Having minimal formal interviews, Raeann was briefly nervous for this step in the application process but felt prepared. She shouted out Senior 101 stating, “the mock interviews in Senior 101 really prepared me a lot. I had an elevator pitch prepared so I knew what I needed to talk about.”
With the help of school administrators, FHSU Admissions, and Raeann’s mom, Shannon Cordell, the final step of awarding the scholarship was kept a surprise. Students, staff, family, and friends were able to cheer her on for this incredible achievement. Her mom was beyond proud stating, “She’s just amazing - I’m just so proud of her. She’s worked so hard on these scholarships. She motivated herself and kept up with them. I didn’t really have to be on her, she just pushed herself to finish them so that she could accomplish her goals.”
Out of 100 applicants, 20 interviewees and 5 total winners, Raeann was one of five students to receive the scholarship. Raeann stated, “I am beyond thankful for the opportunity I have in front of me and what my future is now going to look like. My whole trajectory for my future has been flipped in a day. The fact that they awarded me with the scholarship means more than I can even explain.”
Raeann plans to study elementary education at FHSU. Through the Senior 101 internship, she has a little bit of a head start, shadowing 3rd grade teacher Ms. Thompson and on occasion, 4th grade teacher Mrs. Cline. She’s been able to build relationships, read to the students, and see lesson structure first hand and what a students day looks like.
When asked about Raeann’s achievement, College and Career Advocate, Kelly Coup, stated, “I was proud to support Raeann Cordell in applying for this scholarship. As she started to fill the application out, I told her to be honest and just tell her story. Raeann's dedication, compassion, and drive show every day, and I am so happy for her as she will make a meaningful impact as an educator.”
Raeann attributes her success to “Lots of prayer and all glory to God”. She encourages others interested in college to, “ start [completing scholarships] right away and stick to it. It's not very fun or a joyful experience, but it’s definitely worth it. You have to put yourself in the position to apply because it won’t fall in your lap.”
“Thank you to the staff and students and admin who have been there for me from the day I applied to now. There’s been a lot of support and encouragement from everyone. From the teachers who had nothing to do with it to Ms. Krause and Mrs. Coup and friends who cheered me on. I think it was super special to have them here for me and encourage me through it.” - Raeann Cordell
