Gratitude is one of the most important things in our lives. Without it, we do not recognize the good things, big and small, and get accustomed to constantly needing more. I want to express my gratitude to my parents, the National Supermarket Association, and everyone here today. Thank you for making this all possible.

Of course, I want to start with a word of thanks. I want to first give a huge thanks to the National Supermarket Association, for putting this scholarship into place, for electing me as one of its recipients, and for generously inviting me here today. I would also like to thank everyone who is here today, as well as all those who support the NSA in one way or another. Without your help, direct or indirect, big or small, this scholarship would not even exist in the first place.

Finally, I would also like to thank my parents for supporting me in everything, and for being willing to drive me back and forth to Miramar, all so I could apply to a single scholarship.

Moving forward, I am going to tell the story of how the National Supermarket Association has truly helped me.

SEBASTIAN SERRATO

I had heard many stories of students applying and having their living expenses and tuition paid off solely by scholarships, so I decided to give it a shot.

I applied to around fifteen scholarships in three months. As you can guess, I only got into one: the NSA scholarship. It truly has been life-changing. lt showed me that it WAS possible to win scholarships, and it gave me the hope that I could go on to attend a state university, free of charge. At the time, I had been accepted into UCF, and I even told Mr. Ajay it was where I was going to attend.

But during the summer, I came to realize that the cost of attendance was not something I had fully taken into account for. I decided to stay down here, attend a local college, and save as much money through work and scholarships as possible. The gift given to me by the National Supermarket Association was a huge jumpstart to this savings account. It would have taken months of putting 100% of my income into it to get where the NSA has already started me off.

I am truly grateful that | had been fortunate enough to be chosen as the recipient. Again, I would really like to thank the NSA for having me here. I received a call from Ms. Daniela, who went on to invite me to present a speech at today’s gala. It truly is an honor to have this experience. I have never presented to a group larger than a classroom, and simply speaking here today is very important to me. As you all know, speeches are a daunting ask no matter who you are. But by taking a step forward and being here today, I have overcome the leap that is everyone’s first “big” speech, and I now know I am capable of doing it. Thank you all again for being here today, for all the support you have provided, both direct and indirect, and listening to my speech.