Fordham Students Win $95K in Santander Scholarships

For students like Layla Macedon, a single scholarship can mean the difference between drowning in student loans and breathing easy. The Fordham freshman just received $15,000 from Santander Bank, making her law school dreams suddenly feel within reach.

Macedon is one of 13 Fordham students who earned scholarships this spring totaling $95,000. The second oldest of seven siblings, she's pursuing a fast-track pre-law program that will let her start law school after just three years of undergrad.

"This is really big, because honestly, it takes away a lot of stress," Macedon said. "When things like this happen, it motivates me and reinforces in my mind this is what I'm supposed to do."

The awards come from Santander's new Open Scholarship fund, which launched last August. Each scholarship provides up to $20,000 over four years based on both academic merit and financial need.

Julianna Seixeiro's $5,000 award arrived at the perfect moment. The accounting major has enough credits to graduate a year early, but her financial aid package only covers 18 credits per semester and she needs 19 to finish ahead of schedule.

"This was such a blessing, not having to come up with that money out of pocket," said Seixeiro, who has worked as a veterinary technician and will intern at EY this summer. Now she can enter the workforce a full year sooner than expected.

For junior Nathaniel Ogilvy, his $5,000 scholarship carries emotional weight beyond the dollar amount. His mother, who died during his first year at Fordham, had insisted he graduate without loans.

"Every semester, it's always a bit of a scramble," said Ogilvy, who plans to pursue criminal law after graduation. "Getting this scholarship is instrumental in fulfilling that desire."

The Ripple Effect

Fordham secured one-fifth of all 61 scholarships awarded nationally this year. That success reflects more than just talented students, according to Dr. Lorna Ronald, director of the Office of Fellowship Advising.

The university's Career Center and fellowship office worked together to help students craft compelling applications. That collaboration turned individual opportunities into institutional achievement.

"It's great to see that Fordham students are really among the best in the country, and that our support systems are among the strongest in the country, too," Ronald said.

The scholarships extend Santander's growing partnership with Fordham, which received nearly $500,000 from the bank last year for experiential learning programs. Assistant Provost Holly Curtis said the relationship has evolved beyond basic campus recruiting into genuine strategic partnership.

Thirteen students just got to focus a little more on their studies and a little less on their bank accounts.