Scholarships are something sought after by almost everyone who attends an institution of higher education. It doesn’t matter if the awards are for athletic talent, academic achievement or social contributions. Students looking for ways to pay for tuition, fees and room and board want and need scholarships to continue their education.

I am fortunate enough to have parents who are able to afford to pay for my education, on the condition I earn good grades. Even though my parents pay for my education, I still apply for whatever scholarships are offered to me. My mom and dad work hard enough as it is and I will do what I can to relieve some of the financial stress of putting my butt through school.

Adam Noska, a junior communications major at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island, is like most college students. He was looking for whatever help he could get in paying for college and applied for a scholarship offered by the College Republicans on his campus. The catch: the scholarship he applied for was for whites only.

The College Republicans announced last month it would give away a $50 scholarship to a white student. The group’s president, Jason Mattera, has repeatedly been quoted in newspapers around the world for saying the scholarship was a parody of scholarships offered only to minorities, and it was intended to make a statement against affirmative action.

Mattera was quoted in East Bay Newspapers, saying (Bristol, R.I.) “It’s parody, definitely. Students on campus can understand parody. They watch Comedy Central more than CNN; they know what parody is.”

Parody or not, the scholarship garnered not just national, but international attention from the media. The College Republicans began to receive contributions to the scholarship and the award increased from $50 to $250.

When Mattera announced Noska was the recipient of the scholarship at a Feb. 18 ceremony, several members of the audience from Roger Williams’ Multicultural Student Union stood up and turned their backs to the presentation in protest.

Mattera said they selected Noska, a member of the university’s Student Government, for his 3.9 grade point average and his convincing essay on why he is proud of his white heritage.

Following the award ceremony, Noska was surrounded by reporters. He said, “I may not be in favor of a scholarship. But if I qualify for it, you can bet your bottom dollar I’ll apply.”

Noska said he planned to use the money to buy a new science textbook.

That was not the end of the story.

The Associated Press reported Noska received criticism for accepting the scholarship. Instead of buying a textbook, he donated the money to a fund benefiting The Station nightclub fire survivors’ and victims’ families.

Those who pressured Noska into giving away the money should be ashamed. Noska proved he was worthy of receiving a scholarship for his hard work. If it isn’t appropriate for Noska to keep his scholarship, then the recipients of the four scholarships Roger Williams offers exclusively to minorities should also donate their awards to charity.

Although the scholarship was meant to be a parody, it was awarded to a student proud of his heritage. Is Noska supposed to be ashamed of the fact he’s white? Is he not allowed to get help paying for his education because he’s white? If the scholarship wasn’t meant to be a statement against affirmative action, but just to celebrate white heritage, would it have made a difference?

My parents raised me to believe you get ahead in life through talent and hard work. Scholarships award those two virtues I was raised to regard with great respect.

Excluding people from the chance to receive these awards based on race or sex tells me these virtues are not as important as I was raised to believe. It tells me people are more concerned about the color of my skin or what’s between my legs then what I’m capable of doing.