1st Update from David Cardamone

David Cardamone

I’m almost done with my first semester of college and have been appreciating all the opportunities the Sandbox Foundation has given me at Oakland University. College has been really different from high school. The way the classes are structured, the independence, and all the studying required are just some of the things that I’ve been getting used to at Oakland. College has been a lot of fun too.

I’ve met people from all over Michigan, learned a lot of new things, am pursuing some of my interests, and made life-long friends. Knowing that there are people out there that are supporting me helps continue to motivate me to do my best and make the most out of this experience. For that, my family and me will always be grateful for the opportunities the Sandbox Foundation has done for me and for helping us pay for college. Thank you again!

Spartan: Austen Malczewski’s 3rd Semester Update

My third semester of college has been an awesome learning experience, college sure seems to be going quick. Now that I have been accepted into the Business college, I am going to pursue an accounting major with an Information Technology minor. With the majority of my classes business focus, It has provided me with a much more interesting curriculum already. I have also been taking advantage of all the organizations on campus, for example, the MSU finance association and the Accounting Student Association (ASA).Austin at State
The biggest difference between this year and last year has been all the extra curricular activities I have taken up in my free time. With such a big campus at MSU, I have had to find a way to make it a little smaller… once you start exploring there’s so many ways to condense campus. For the Honors College at MSU I joined a book club where I read books of my choosing with a group of other Honors students on Tuesday nights, this has allowed me to learn a ton about good books and also allowed me to meet some really good people.
Lately, most of my time has been directed towards research on a possible invention I have. Just this last month I started an LLC for this new company and I ordered a Provisional Patent on my Idea. The best part of this idea is that I found an organization on campus that Is funded by Alumni, who have agreed to help pay for my legal fees, patents, and other costs I may incur building Prototypes and what not, without a catch or giving up any equity in the company. I entered a competition (Burgess New Venture Challenge) put on for MSU students with my idea and If I place top 5 I could be granted potential funding, I will keep you posted on this.
I have also made great strides in wrestling, I was awarded my varsity letter-man jacket at the beginning of the semester, which was a super cool experience. I have also taken 3rd place at the MSU open tournament, and Ohio Intercollegiate open tournament with a record of (9-2) over the last two weekends.
I want to thank you for the continued scholarship this year, It has helped me out tremendously. As a student who is responsible for paying for his own college experience, I constantly remind myself how fortunate I am to receive this Sandbox Foundation Scholarship.