Self-storage directory EZstorit.com has awarded its first $500 “Get Ahead Scholarship” to Eric A. Rosenfeld, an engineering student at San Jose State University (SJSU) in San Jose, Calif. The company selected Rosenfeld from a pool of more than 1,000 applicants from Puerto Rico and the United States, according to a press release. Students vying for the scholarship ranged from ages 18 to 49.
“We are extremely proud to be able to make a contribution and give back to society in the form of our scholarship programs,” said Lee Preston, director of marketing and promotion. “The sheer number of applicants that we received shows the great need for financial assistance in higher education, and we are committed to awarding additional scholarships for the spring and summer semesters.”
Applicants had to be a full-time student at an accredited college or university with at least a 2.75 grade-point average. Submissions included a 400- to 500-word essay on one of three topics:
- What do you hope to gain from your college education?
- What would you do if you had $100,000 and needed to spend it in one month?
- Why did you choose the college/university you are attending or will be attending?
“Our scholarship committee was delighted on the caliber of applicants that we received and enjoyed reading their essays,” the release stated. “There were a number of applicants that were extremely qualified, but one applicant stood out among all the others.”
Rosenfeld was chosen for the “wide amount of engineering and technological projects he has participated in and the adversity he has faced,” company officials said. With a passion for renewable energy, the student’s recent activities include spending part of the summer on the solar team for the Spartan Superway, an interdisciplinary project at SJSU. He also gave a presentation on “Solar Automated Nonstop Elevated (SANE) Transportation” at the annual summer conference of the American Solar Energy Society.
Launched about a year ago, EZstorit.com is an online directory that helps consumers locate self-storage facilities in Canada and the United States. It allows customers to compare facility amenities and reserve units directly with a particular location. It targets small self-storage businesses for its listings by offering flat-rate pricing, according to the release. The website is optimized for Bing, Google and Yahoo.
