We’re always thankful when faculty and staff help us spotlight outstanding NHCC students—it’s a privilege to share their stories and achievements. Special thanks to Gina Schmidt for connecting us with NHCC student, Lizzy Nyoike!
Lizzy is an NHCC student who is currently studying communications and mass communications. She is also a student worker in the Career Center on-campus. Lizzy has an impressive personal system for finding scholarships, keeping track of her applications, and writing essays. We interviewed Lizzy to get the inside scoop on her student journey, her scholarship tips, her perspective on transferring and more!
Get to know Lizzy in the Q&A, below!
What are you studying at NHCC?
Right now, I'm double majoring in mass communication and communication studies with plans to transfer and study journalism, with a minor in political science at the University of Georgia. Eventually, I want to be an investigative reporter.
How did you decide on Georgia?
One of my friends had thrown it to me as an idea. They were like, ‘What about University of Georgia?’ At the time, I had just visited Georgia in the summer. I liked the state. I liked the culture, the weather and everything. I decided I was going to venture over to UGA. So, I went down there again in November of the same year, toured the school, loved the school right away. I thought, ‘Wow, this is perfect.’ I feel like I know the campus very well, and I've only really toured three, or four times. It just felt like home to me! I did some more research into the program, and I saw there's a lot of students who get internships with CNN, ESPN, and a lot of the big media powerhouses. Since the CNN headquarters used to be in Atlanta, I think it's in New York now, but that used to be an easy connection between the campus and CNN. But now what they do is they send their students out. Plus, there's a lot of local news networks that partner with the school, and the school has a news station for students to report on as well. I just want to be in a new environment with new scenery where different things are happening. I have already applied, and I've already been accepted. So, that's a load off my back! Now I’m just waiting till it's time to apply for spring courses and register for spring! I hope to start there in January of 2026!
What inspired your interest in investigative journalism?
Well, I wanted to be a forensic scientist when I was younger, but I always faced hardship with science. Science was never my greatest strength. I never did well with genetics in biology, never did well in chemistry either. That's actually one of the courses I'm procrastinating to take right now in my studies, because I don't like science. But I was thinking, ‘Ok if I can't do the science, and I can't do the blood scenes (I'm not a big needle person). How can I still get into forensics while still doing journalism?’ That’s when I looked into investigative journalism. I was actually inspired by watching FOX 9 (I get most of my news from FOX 9 and KARE 11). Former investigative reporter, Tom Lyden from FOX 9 was really inspirational to me. He released investigations on Wednesday, and I remember always tuning into those. At a young age, I always wanted to know what was going on, even if I didn't understand it. Tom just had a way of delivering his reports that was super fascinating to me. I was like, ‘I want to be like him!’ He is retired now, but he’s the one who inspired me and since then, I've been very passionate about journalism. Aside from investigative reporting, there's a lot of other things that I'm passionate about too, like, juvenile crime. That's been on the rise in Minnesota, and I'm really passionate about looking into how we can better serve and help the youths who are already in the juvenile justice system. I had an internship with Hennepin County Juvenile Probation, and that’s mainly where my interest sparked from. That was a really great internship, and I saw a lot of things. I’d shadow probation officers, went inside the detention centers, I met incarcerated youths, and I listened to their stories. Just being in that world and seeing what's really going on in our communities was a super cool experience.
Working it backwards, how long ago did you realize you wanted to go to Georgia, and how did that tie into your focus on scholarships?
I knew I wanted to go to Georgia right from the beginning. After I toured the campus, I was like, ‘Yep, I'm enrolling. Next fall, I'm going to be here.’ But then, reality hit and college costs money.
"I was told by my parents, ‘If you want to go to Georgia, that's great. But no one's taking out a loan for you to go to school. So, you're going to have to figure it out in terms of scholarships, or however you're going to pay for it.’ Me personally, I know myself, I'm a hard worker, but I definitely don't want to work forever paying off loans, because I had fun when I was younger. Since I had already started my track here as a PSEO student and I was able to get a year done, that helped me a lot. I sat down with my family, and it was like a reality check for me, because I wasn't seeing it at the time, but they said, ‘What's the rush? Why are you trying to go to Georgia right now? You're almost done, you might as well finish your associate degree, which will probably even help you find a job when you're eventually down there completing school. Then while you finish your degree, you'll be able to find an actual job that you're looking for out in a newsroom, or something.’ So, I said, ‘That's true’ and I decided to finish my degree at North Hennepin!"
Once I'm done, we’ll see what's next after that! But also, my parents migrated here from Kenya; they both went to college here and they never took out loans. Knowing that they were able to pay for that, for me it's kind of like, why would I want to go the loan route, when they came here and worked their hardest to be able to live and go to school and still make a stable living. I’m the oldest, I have a younger sister. I’ve thought a lot about college and about what my parents were able to do. I don't think I want to take out loans. Like I said, I know myself. I don't want to be working to pay off loans. We have family friends, and I've heard them complaining about student loans, money, budgets and stuff. And I just don't envision that life for myself. Then also seeing my parents being happy, their money is theirs. They don't owe anyone any money, and they're very successful. Another thing that my mom instilled in me at a younger age was, having money is great, but sometimes people lose sight of the meaning of it. They chase money thinking, ‘I can work doubles, or triples, or I can work every day plus the weekends’ but if my parents did that, we would never see them. (My mom works for the county, and my dad does construction, so it's very seasonal, but there's always stuff going on). We can work double, triple, whatever the case may be, and you may never see us. But even if we get all that money, it's like ‘What's the purpose?’ Everyone's happiness is a bit different. For us, being able to value that family time, or self-time and having a balanced life is important. That's what I hope to continue for the future.
How did you get the idea to put this notebook together?
I took a class in high school at Robbinsdale Armstrong, called AVID, that was really helpful. I didn't love it, but I had two amazing teachers, who encouraged us to apply for scholarships. The whole point of AVID is college readiness. We learned how to do Cornell Notes, (which is a note taking system where you write things down in short, descriptive notes and then you summarize everything that you learned). In senior year, after we did college applications, they said, ‘Now it's time to apply for scholarships! You got accepted into schools, so how are you going to pay for it? Start applying for scholarships!’ For me, I used that as protected time when I could search and apply for scholarships. Most students would just want to socialize and chill, which is totally fine, because I know some days I did that too. But I also knew where my head was at, and I knew what I wanted. I used that dedicated time to look for scholarships, apply for them and write them down. I remember one day, there were a couple scholarships that were shared with us at school. I had a notebook with me and that became the notebook that I wrote scholarships down in. Ever since then, I just became super invested in it! When I started getting scholarship awards, that only gave me more motivation, because you're like, ‘Wow, this stuff is real. It works!’ I filled up one 80-page notebook; I got another notebook and it’s been a year now!
You filled a whole notebook up with scholarships?
Yeah! Then I got another notebook and started writing them again, just continuing to apply. But I always go back to my two AVID teachers, because they would do notebook checks, and I’d always show them my scholarship notebook. They were just amazed, because I don't think they ever saw a student keep up with that process like that. Maybe students continue applying for scholarships and stuff, but I don't know if they physically keep a notebook like this, (I think spreadsheets are more common today). I have one of those too, but I feel like the spreadsheet only really works as an assignment tracker. It doesn’t work very well for scholarships, because those are so personal to me, and I want to be able to see them written out in a certain way. Of the 80-pages in the notebook that I filled out with scholarships, I don't remember how many of those that I got; but even if I don't get them, I always write them down and put dates on them just so I can visually see them, and that works for me!
What year were you a PSEO student?
Robbinsdale area had this program called College Now. It was a partnership with Hennepin Tech and MCTC, where students were able to take classes and earn college credit as early as ninth grade, which was really nice. I started as a freshman in high school, while also taking one college course. I think it was a sociology course, which was cool. Then it went online for the summer, about seven weeks, the typical summer length. The program was actually run by the high school teachers, but with partnership from the colleges. So, you'd get college credit, and then it would transfer as a half to the high school. So, I did that in my freshman year, my sophomore year I took a break, and then my junior and senior summers, I took classes again. I was able to get some credit that way, and then I enrolled at North Hennepin in my junior year to start taking PSEO. I had already accumulated about 20 credits, then I came to North Hennepin to get a couple more in the fall and spring, and that brought me to where I am right now.
Do you have a process for writing scholarships in your notebook?
Every week, I always use Sunday as my reset day. I try to search for three to four scholarships, most times it ends up being more than that. I write them down, along with the deadline date. I find myself referencing this book at least once a day, or once every couple of days. But every week I reference my notebook one way or another. I always just flip it open to check what the upcoming deadlines are. Usually if there's a scholarship that’s really important, or if I missed it the year before and I don't want to miss it again I'm really big on sticking post it notes on my Mac next to my touchpad. I keep a post it note of every scholarship that I want to make sure that I apply for, and that usually helps me visually remember, and that's how I apply for them.
Where are your favorite places to look for scholarships?
Most of my favorite places are within campuses, those are the big ones. Colleges have money that they want to give to students, so just being open and checking for school emails, searching for internal college scholarships, and looking on the website Fastweb. There's a lot out there and it's more like an application thing. You put in your information, and they filter scholarships based on things like what you're studying, what grade you’re in, your hobbies and interests, and your GPA. That’s how they filter scholarships out. Then they basically give you a list and you can apply for them! Another thing that can sometimes happen when you apply for a scholarship, is you automatically get added to newsletter lists, or mailing lists. They usually send monthly emails saying these are the scholarships that are out, go apply. There’s many places that people can source for scholarships. But I’d say that’s how I’ve found most of them, by looking through e-newsletter recommendations. If you see a scholarship pop up, just give it a shot and apply for whatever you're eligible for!
When do you start looking and applying?
I feel like there's really no set time. They're pretty fluid. Scholarship applications can pretty much happen year-round. There's probably scholarship deadlines today, tomorrow, and yesterday. Being on the lookout for them is important, because they're always closing at any time. Most of the scholarships that I pursue are in the fall and spring. But just know they're always out there, so keep tabs on them and keep your eyes on them constantly.
How do you not get overwhelmed?
I feel like it’s easy for me to not get overwhelmed about this because, it's something I'm passionate about and I'm not being forced to do it. So, at any given moment, I can just be like, ‘Oh, not today. I'm not feeling like applying today. I'm just going to leave it.’ I think I’m pretty balanced about it, I'd say. Like, I said, Sundays are usually my days to look for scholarships. If I find three, or four and I apply to them, or if I don't apply to them on Sunday and I end up applying during the week, I try not to get frustrated with myself. It's very hard though because I spend a lot of time looking for them. So, when I don't get the chance to apply, it is a little upsetting to me, like, ‘Man, I spent an hour looking for this, and I didn't get the chance to apply for it.’ But sometimes I just look at it and be like, ‘Well, it's not a horrible thing because something else always comes out of it in the end.’ I think having an equal balance is important and that's what helps me.
If you had to say a number, how many scholarships do you think you’ve applied for?
Quite a bit. I would say maybe 70 give or take. That's quite a bit, also considering, most of them require essays, or videos, or projects. Some of them do require a lot of work, and one thing that people tend to forget is that applying for scholarships is like a full-time job. Like, you have to be religious with it and be really be consistent. Because, if you apply for one scholarship, you’re not guaranteed a scholarship. So being able to apply for multiple and being patient with writing these essays is another thing. I was telling a couple of family friends, ‘There's a lot of scholarships out there and they asked me what I’m doing to get them, and I said you can look on my computer. I have 50 essays on there.’ You want to make sure that you're writing essays that are tailored to the prompt. They don’t like it when you go off prompt, or off script. Also, another thing to keep in mind is really being vulnerable in your essays. I feel like I'm very personal in them and I share a lot of my personal stories. I write about how I was a Girl Scout when I was younger. The really big stuff that I share about is how I faced a lot of hardship being the only Black girl in my troop. I feel like that's always been my highlight story. In any essay that I write, I always tie Girl Scouts back into it. This is one organization that's helped me be a better person or be a better steward in our community. Being a Girl Scout when I was younger, many times I wanted to quit. My mom didn't let me quit. But now, I'm at a higher level of it, I'm on the board, and I'm also a national delegate. Now, it's a full circle moment. I had hardship. I didn't love it. I wanted to give up at some point. But now, I'm at the top, making decisions for the council. It’s a reminder, pain pays off. That's one thing that I've learned. I think just being able to share that, it’s a super fascinating story, and I think it inspires a lot of people. Earlier this spring, I shared my Girl Scout story to a forever council alumni board. I was talking with one of the committee members beforehand, and she said, ‘I've actually never heard a story like that before. So, I'm really excited to hear your story.’ I like sharing that story because I've been through some real low points and now that I’m able to bloom out of them and keep on pushing with it has been my top moment.
Of the 70 scholarships you applied to, do you usually hear back from all 70 of them?
Yeah, most of them are very considerate and they’ll send me an email and say, we've decided yes, or no, or they send a list with the names of the scholar recipients. Whether it’s good, or bad, yes, most of the time I hear back from them. Sometimes I will have to reach out to check. But I stopped doing that, because I'm like, if I didn't get it, I just go back and put an X next to it in my notebook, depending on how long ago it was. If it was six or seven months back, I’ll just go back and put X to it. One thing I always encourage my friends to do is check in your communities. See what’s nearby, check who you bank with. Scholarships are always in banks. At least if you bank at a credit union, I bank at two credit unions and both of my banks have scholarships that they run every year, and there's always a credit union council scholarship as well. I remember I applied for one of the scholarships with my credit union last fall and I didn't get it, but this fall, I got it. Be persistent and just say, ‘You know, maybe last year wasn't my season. This year was and I'm not going to say that it came at its right time, but maybe this was the season for it to come and it's made its way to me, so that’s all that matters.’
How many scholarships do you think you've gotten?
I would say maybe about 17. A pretty decent amount. It’s been rewarding, because most of them when they come in, even if it surpasses my tuition, I'm able to put it in investment accounts, or CD (certificate of deposit) accounts and that really helps! Let's say, summer term is coming up, I don't have any scholarships for the summer. I'll have to pay for school in the summer, but I won't have to pay for it with any of my personal money. I'll be able to tap into the money that I've had saved in my Roth account and pull that out to pay for school. That has been really nice, because it's more of an investment thing. One thing I told myself was, I feel like taking a loan out for school is not so great and probably not the wisest decision. Mainly because people decide to change majors along the way. I know for me; I feel pretty focused, and I think I'm set on this. I'm passionate about my major and I know this is what I want to do. I don't anticipate changing my major, but in the event that I do, I'd rather just have the mindset of, this is what I'm set on, this is what I'm doing, and I'm applying for scholarships, vs paying for a loan. I think it’s important to have that self-belief and have the hope that I'm going to get it and I'm going to be able to go to school and I’ll get the scholarship.
Do you know how much more ahead of all the other 18-year-olds you are? I've never heard any 18-year-old say CD and Roth account before in a sentence!
Yeah! Haha! Money discipline has really been instilled in me by my parents. Being really careful and cautious with money has been very important. One of my CD’s is maturing at the end of this month, so I’m considering rolling that out of one of my credit unions into another one, because the interest rates are higher and I'm trying to get the most bang for my buck. I promised myself after my CD’s mature, that I would match whatever I had put in. So that's a big thing that I'm super excited to do at the end of this month of rolling it over.
What advice would you give to students who want to get started applying for scholarships?
I would say definitely take the time to just Google scholarships. Even if the only thing you do is just Google scholarships, stuff will come up. One thing to note, if you're being asked to pay for anything, don't pay for anything, because you're not supposed to pay for scholarships! But if you are looking to find money for school, just take the time to look for them because, like I said, it's a full-time job and most people don't want to hear that.
"If you take the time to apply and search for the scholarships, that's how you can get started. If you're not a notebook person, you can have a spreadsheet to keep track of them, or just write them down in your notes app, or a document. I think it’s important to keep a record of what you've applied for, but maybe you don’t need to keep a record at all. I don't know, we’re all a little different! But I encourage you to actually go out and look for scholarships because there's stuff that's out there and be intentional with your essays too, because that's important."
It is very important to be intentional and you don't have to be super personal if you don’t want to. But I feel like when you're vulnerable and you share something about a low point in your life, or maybe a turning point in your life, like the Girl Scout story that I always use. I think it's always a full circle moment for a scholarship committee to read and find out why you're worthy, and what makes you different from all the other applicants.
How did you find out about this job in Career Services?
I was looking on the NHCC website. I think it was a student worker page. I also had a friend who worked in the computer lab, and I was like, ‘Oh, is your place hiring?’ She said, no, but I went on the website to look, and I saw, Career Services was hiring. I was just looking for a job, but it ended up being in an interesting area of campus. This is super cool because eventually, I will be looking for an internship. So, this will be really nice to get firsthand experience to find out what’s out there and share it with my peers and give other resources to people who may benefit from it. I would say I landed in a really good area for a work study job, and this is something that is interesting to me.
What have you enjoyed about working here?
I feel like I've really enjoyed the networking part and just meeting with Gina from time to time to look at my resume. It is nice to seasonally reset things and shift things and be told by someone to move things around and rephrase. That's been really nice. A lot of other things that probably I hadn't thought about are leadership positions that I've had that I've never thought about. Being told to add those skills to my resume has been nice. I kind of notice my application sticking out a little more since I made a few resume changes, which has been great. I'm just talking about my resume and reupping it because I feel like for my age, I've done a lot of things. I wouldn't say too much, but I'm really out there and I make sure that my resume is reflecting that, and my cover letter is too.
How have you enjoyed your NHCC experience in general?
It's been pretty good! I don't have any negatives to say. I think one thing I'd probably need to do better at is I'm not a very social person. I'm more of an introvert. If I don't know anyone, I'm not really the type to approach someone. So, it’s been hard to socialize and meet other people. But I would say that my experience here has been pretty good, it works for me, my classes have been great and along the way, I've met a friend or two, and it’s been a pretty good experience overall.
You pour a lot of energy into your notebook. What do you do for fun, to give yourself a break?
I’m a golfer, so in the spring, I play golf. I love art. I love live music, I go to, like, every concert, even if I don't listen to an artist that much. I'm going to New York and there's an R&B artist that I've loved since I was a little girl. His name is Raheem DeVaughn. He's really old school, but he's having a show in New York, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I'm going to be in New York that weekend, I got to go.’ So, I'm just planning to go. Most of the concerts I go to here are at the Armory, Xcel, the Fillmore, or Uptown Theater. I go to a lot of concerts, and I just love live music. I went to R&B Live earlier this month with one of my friends. It's just R&B music that's live and just like vibing and stuff. We had a 90s theme going with the ‘fits. But other than that, I like being at home. I like being warm. I'm always cold, so in my room I always have my heater on at the highest level, my room is like a toaster. I like watching tv and catching up on shows. In New York, I'll be going to another NABJ Investigative Reporter Convention. I'm really excited for that because that will be the last NABJ Institute that I go to before the big convention this August in Cleveland. Not so fun of a location, but it’s still a new place. Plus, I was selected to work on a student multimedia project in Cleveland this summer, so I can’t wait to see how that'll go. They're implementing a student newsletter, so I think that'll help me learn about different sides of communication versus just the media. It's a weeklong project in the summer and they're paying for everything. So, that’s a plus and I'm super excited to get into it!
It was wonderful getting to know you, Lizzy! We wish you the best of luck as you transfer to UGA next year and begin your career as an investigative reporter!