When Marissa Steben received her invite to St. Ambrose University's Scholars Day, she knew she had to attend. Steben had already been to campus several times for soccer clinics and knew she was interested in the school. The invite to this exclusive event made an impact.
“It amplified my want and desire to come here,” the elementary education major reflected. “I’m very grateful because not every school presents you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the institution, meet people, and have a chance to have your academic journey funded.”
St. Ambrose University’s Scholars Day brings prospective students with an unweighted GPA of 3.25 or higher to campus to be recognized for their successes in academics, service to others, and leadership. They also have the chance to earn a scholarship – up to a full-ride for four years – based on interviews with university faculty and staff.
“Everyone was very personable," Steben said about the event. “I greatly appreciated how there were different faculty and staff members sitting at various tables. They made conversation with participants and our families and answered all of our questions. Everyone who spoke, whether on stage or in a discussion, were detailed and descriptive with what they shared.”
Steben says Scholars Day certainly solidified her ambition to attend St. Ambrose. And scholarship or not, she planned to be on campus come fall 2024.
“Ambrose was the place for me, no matter what the outcome of Scholars Day brought to me.”
What the straight-A student found each time she visited campus, and what she especially discovered on Scholars Day, was a tight-knit, friendly community that would allow her to fuel her passions and discover new interests along the way.
With over 400 hours of community service accumulated over her high school career, St. Ambrose’s commitment to service was a perfect fit for Steben who has a passion for community outreach.
Faith is also important to her. One deciding factor about where she would attend school rested on the opportunity to continue to grow in her faith and be surrounded by a community with a desire to do the same.
At St. Ambrose, Steben can continue playing soccer – something she’s done since she was six years old. She can enrich her passion for community service and grow in faith. And as an elementary education major, with an emphasis on special education, she’s looking forward to getting into classrooms her first year in the program.
“A lot of times, at least at bigger schools, for sure, you aren’t given a chance to get into the classroom until your junior or senior year. At Ambrose, I believe I'm starting observations next semester.”
“Ambrose has checked every box I’ve had, and even created new boxes that I didn’t know about and checked them off as well."
Steben knew Ambrose was where she was supposed to be. So, when she got the call and learned she’d been awarded a full-tuition scholarship, “That was just the icing on the cake,” she said.
“St. Ambrose is a place where you can come into your own because you're encouraged to own who you are with confidence. There's something for everyone, whether it's a club, organization, class, or sport. Some of my favorite parts about SAU are the family feel we embody and that, there is so much space for you to flourish and discover who you are meant to be.”
