Foundation to My Heart
Southern Scholarship,
The Foundation to my heart
A house full of residents
Each playing their part
With friends at every door
You’re never truly all alone
SSF’s not just for houses
Cultivating homes
Cook crew and clean crew
All must play a role
With real life takeaways
It’s worth the timing toll
Supporting bright young minds
In a fast, difficult time
Just trust in #SSFLOVE
And you’ll be fine
Southern Scholarship,
The Foundation to my heart
It’s hard to not be grateful
For the donors and their part
A piece of success
Passing it on to the youth
Inspirational, when we succeed
Replicate you
Donors and sponsors
Your help is not taken for granted
SSF may grow
As the product of what you planted
The help we get is more than money,
Memories and friends
What once seemed scary
Becomes something we won’t want to end
Southern Scholarship,
The Foundation to my heart
A piece of this will stay with me
Brought light into the dark
Turned can’ts into cans,
Realigned my college plans
And most of all, this scholarship
Gave me a new chance
Luis Cabrera, Mack-Tyner Scholarship House, Class of 2026
A Home Beyond Walls
Not just a house, but a place to grow,
A space where kindness freely flows.
Within these walls, we’ve found much more—
A family, a future, an open door.
Through every challenge, test, and trial,
We stand together, mile by mile.
With laughter shared and lessons learned,
Through every spark, our dreams have burned.
Yet none of this could come to be,
Without the hearts that chose to see—
The power of hope, the gift of a chance,
The ripple of kindness in life’s expanse.
To those who give, who choose to share,
Who lift us up with love and care—
Your generosity lights our way,
And shapes our lives in bright array.
So here we stand, with grateful hearts,
Aware of all you’ve helped to start.
Because of you, we dare to dream,
To build, to thrive, to reach, to be.
Thank you for this gift so true—
SSF is home because of you.
Iryna Vasko, Grace Fox Scholarship House, Class of 2025
A Snippet of Life in a House Full of Love
9:00am
I am up slightly later than usual
The blanket of silence still lingers.
On the other side of my curtains, a smile
We are quiet, whispers and hushed laughs.
10:40am
She saves me a seat every class
Front row, left-hand side
I’m stuck on a problem, but never to worry
There’s always a familiar face to turn to.
3:00pm
A very brief lunch, always rushing, rushing, rushing
“Have a good day!” She calls like clockwork.
It means something to me
To have someone who really does care.
5:00pm
On my way to the library, company arrives
Nothing but a low hum on the 4th floor
We sit for a while, working by the windows
Birds of a feather, better together.
6:30pm
“Dinner!”
Always a silly affair
She steals my plate again, despite protests
An act of love in washing dishes.
8:45pm
There is always a shoulder to lean on
So she asks me how I’m doing
And for the first time in a long while
There’s a smile, along with “better”.
12:00am
Back to the silence, midnight magic
I lay back, a glance at the ceiling
There is so much kindness here, to the moon and back
Grateful to simply just have it.
Genevieve Ipasu, Badcock Scholarship House, Class of 2028
A Place to Grow
I came with dreams and little more,
A bag of books, a key, a door.
Beyond that door, a house stood tall,
But inside, I found much more than walls.
Not just a bed, not just a meal,
But space to think, to hope, to heal.
A quiet lamp, a friendly face,
A chance to build, to find my place.
They call it housing, yet I know—
It’s where ambitions start to grow.
A stranger’s gift, unseen, unknown,
Yet through their kindness, roots are sown.
To those who give, whose hands provide,
Whose faith in us runs deep and wide,
You’ve built a home where hearts ignite—
A future forged in steady light.
And though you may not hear my name,
Or shake my hand, or know my face,
Your giving made a dream take flight—
And for that gift, I hold with grace.
Lincoln Ream, E.C. Allen Scholarship House, Class of 2028Metamorphosis
Q: When does a house become a home?
~~~
It’s a warm Saturday afternoon
The last official day of summer.
My exterior is all grins, easy laughs
But inside is different
A little worried, a little scared, a little sad
My parents will make the drive back without me.
We finally arrive at the house
Three stories, sloped roof
And out steps a new face
Round glasses
Eyes as warm as the sun
I find myself smiling back
Maybe this won’t be so lonely after all.
And so begins a fresh start
Small snickers turn into heaving laughs
Idle chit chat turns into introspective conversation
There is chocolate cake for my birthday, a shoulder to cry on
And best of all, the living room is full
More often than not.
I am surrounded by people with all sorts of stories and silly jokes
Wise words, and more kindness than I dreamed of.
It’s more than a house
More than chores
More than just a room
It’s making dinner together every week
Late night study sessions
And more love than I ever thought I’d have.
It’s home.
~~~
A: When the lines blur, and “my scholarship house” turns into “my second home.”
Genevieve Ipasu, Badcock Scholarship House, Class of 2028
Home amongst friends
The smell of eggs and laughter fills the air.
The morning sun warms the atmosphere,
Clearing the mildew that once reigned in the night sky.
Greeted by a smile and hello, I dance my
Way down the halls. The cadence of footsteps
Sounds like a jazz band as people run down the stairs,
All moving like wild ants when dinner is called.
If the walls could speak, they would tell the story of
Love and sisterhood, whether that be from playing in the snow
Or enjoying s’mores near a warm fire, community is what we’re built on.
So although SSF stands for Southern Scholarship Foundation,
It became more than just a place of living, but a place
Where students could stand firmly together.
Briana Dareus, Pilot Scholarship House, Class of 2027