How to Graduate 100% Debt-Free: Inside Secrets from a Dell Scholar & Rice Full-Ride Recipient

With the rising cost of college tuition, families everywhere are scrambling to find ways to pay for school. Many are even going into massive debt just so their students can continue their education. Here at MBAKEN, we equip families with proven strategies to find money for college and reduce that financial burden.

Today, you are in for a treat. We have a very special guest: Cathia Dumel, a Dell Scholar and Rice University full-ride scholarship recipient.

How to Graduate 100% Debt-Free with Cathia Dumel

Cathia is a passionate social justice advocate and college access professional with over a decade of experience helping underrepresented, first-generation students secure scholarships and succeed in higher education. As a Dell Scholar, Teach for America alum, and the current director of youth and career services at the Center for Independent Living of Broward, she has helped hundreds of students navigate the college process just as she once did. Today, she is here to share how she got her own education fully funded for both undergrad and graduate school, and how your family can do the same.

100% Debt-Free: Cathia’s Educational Journey

MBAKEN: Welcome, Cathia! You are dynamic, girl.

Cathia: Thank you. I really appreciate that intro. It sounds so good.

MBAKEN: You know, that’s all you. You made it real easy. So, before we get into it, how are you feeling right now?

Cathia: I’m excited. I don’t usually do these talking things, but I’m excited to kind of just share my experience and my background and to support those who are looking to expand and learn how to find scholarships that are a great fit for them.

MBAKEN: That’s awesome. And honestly, that’s the perfect segue to our first question: Can you share a little bit about your own educational journey and how you managed to get your schooling paid for? Because being a Dell Scholar is a big deal.

Cathia: Yeah! Thank you. So, I managed to be one of the few people—I’m not going to say in the country, but the few people that I know—that got my undergraduate and my master’s degree fully paid for. I did all of my schooling 100% debt-free, and that was really due to the Dell Scholars Program.

When I was in high school, I was part of the Upward Bound program. In that program, they focus on helping first-generation, underrepresented students pursue college and encourage us to move forward. They were the ones that talked to me about the Dell Scholarship, so I applied.

I remember working on my essays. It was like five mini-essays, which are actually harder than a long essay because you have less space to really make a compelling story. I was awarded a $20,000 scholarship that also came with a laptop, a printer, and money for textbooks every semester. It was a wonderful, wonderful scholarship.

The Power of Generous Financial Aid Packages

In addition to that, I got accepted into Rice University. Rice University has a very generous financial aid package. My program taught me that although private universities or elite universities can be very expensive, they oftentimes have more money to give. Don’t completely shut the door on those because they might have a lot of money to offer you.

That’s exactly what happened. Rice University gave me a full-ride scholarship that covered everything—housing, meals, everything. For four years, I got all of my undergraduate education paid for through Rice.

Understanding Aid Displacement

The team at the Dell Scholarship talked to me and explained a concept called aid displacement. Aid displacement is when a school sees you got a outside scholarship (say $500), and they lower their institutional financial aid by that same amount to keep your total funding package identical. Because Rice was giving me a full ride, the Dell Scholarship team told me: “Do not touch your Dell Scholarship until after you graduate.” I was so glad they let me know because I did not know that!

So, I did my four years at Rice fully paid for. After undergraduate, I took a year off and started my master’s degree. That’s when I went back to Dell and said, “Hey, so that $20,000…?” And they were like, “Yep, it was right here waiting for you.” I was able to use that exact money to get my master’s degree. Everything was paid for!

The Impact of Community Support Systems

MBAKEN: That is incredible. Now Cathia, is Upward Bound a national organization? Because I know I’ve seen it in South Florida when I went to school there.

Cathia: Yep. Upward Bound is part of TRIO, which is a set of federally funded grants working with underserved communities. They have one grant tier that works with high school students, one that works with veterans, and one that works with people who are already in college. But the whole goal is to get first-generation students to go to college and to graduate.

When I was in that program, they were really exposing me to colleges. I went on college tours, and they were supporting me with my scholarship applications—showing me exactly how to get there on both the financial piece and the academic piece.

How to Stand Out as a Compelling Candidate

MBAKEN: That’s wonderful. I do have a clarifying question. Even before you got to Upward Bound, you probably still would have been a standout scholar. When you think about your journey throughout middle school and high school, what experiences or clubs helped you stand out and be such a compelling candidate for the Dell Scholarship? What made them say, “I want her”?

Cathia: That’s a great question. The interesting thing about Dell Scholars is that they are looking for students who work hard. You don’t have to necessarily be the smartest kid in the class or have the highest GPA. They are looking for someone who perseveres, overcomes challenges, and is going to keep pushing forward to become successful.

I was able to show that although I came from a low-income family where both of my parents worked two jobs, and statistically a lot of things were set against me, I still valued my education and worked hard to get good grades.

In terms of my involvement, I was involved in a few clubs at school, but I actually wasn’t involved in that much. What I did in my application was show leadership without needing a formal title. There were a lot of people at my school who were president of this and vice president of that. I was a very shy student, so I wasn’t trying to put myself out there like that. However, I was still able to demonstrate that I can lead and influence others from where I’m at within my school and within my peers, regardless of a title. That was enough to show that I had the potential and that I was a natural leader.

MBAKEN: That’s beautiful. So what I’m hearing you say as a reoccurring theme is: you don’t have to necessarily be the student with the highest GPA, and you don’t have to have a title that establishes you as a leader. It’s your ability to position what you have done to stand out in these scholarship opportunities.

Building Your Extracurricular Blueprint

MBAKEN: I know you said you joined a few extracurricular activities. Can you name-drop some of the things you joined, or some clubs you think would be a good situation for a middle or high school student to be a part of right away?

Cathia: I went to two different high schools. The first one I was at, Turner Tech, was a technical school. At the time, I was highly interested in medicine—all through high school I wanted to do medicine, though when you get to college, things change! But I was involved in the health club and the medical club to get exposure to the field. I was also a part of a volunteering club.

I will also say this: community service was my number one thing. I didn’t do it because I necessarily wanted a scholarship; I really did it because I genuinely enjoyed helping in the community and making a difference. By the time I graduated high school, I had earned around 350 community service hours, winning a presidential service seal for it.

I know for a fact that community service makes a massive difference and looks very impressive on applications. You are basically showing providers that if they invest in your future, you’re going to use your education to make a difference in your community. So to recap my three main buckets: it was volunteering clubs, medical clubs, a Christian organization, and I think a math club. My school didn’t have sports, band, music, or arts, so I didn’t dabble in those, though I wish I did.

Balancing School, Extracurriculars, and Work

MBAKEN: See, for me, it was kind of flip-flopped! I was a band geek. I was in the drumline—the only girl in the drumline, shout out to me! I was also a part of track and field, the National Honor Society, and the English National Honor Society because I definitely liked to write.

On top of that, I had a job. I worked at Hollister. If you are a student balancing school and work, that is definitely something you can highlight to show that outside of school, you can add value to your community, maintain a work-life balance, and manage multiple things at once. Community service is a very simple way to stand out and show that you invest in things greater than yourself. It’s never too late to start, whether you’re in middle school or a high school senior.

Overcoming Application Obstacles and Avoiding Scams

MBAKEN: Can you talk to me about some of the challenges you faced when applying for scholarships and how you overcame them?

Cathia: Some scholarships are very competitive, and it can be challenging to stand out or you might just not be the best fit. The biggest challenge I faced was applying for something and not getting it. You get discouraged and think you’re never going to get a scholarship, but that’s not the truth. You just have to keep going, stay persistent, and not lose hope.

You also need to be strategic with the scholarships you apply to. Make sure you actually fit the profile that the scholarship is looking for, rather than just applying blindly. It really is a numbers game. You’ve got to keep applying to increase your chances. You don’t have to fit their desired profile 100%, but you want to be in the majority of what they are looking for.

MBAKEN: To that point, it’s all about how you position yourself. If a scholarship says they are looking for leaders, it doesn’t mean you have to be the president of a club. But if you’ve ever influenced a group of people or swayed them a certain way, you definitely want to highlight those moments. Take a true inventory of what you’ve done. If you aren’t sure, ask two or three people close to you to rattle off things you’ve done in the past. Sometimes your closest friends and family see things in you that you take for granted. Surround yourself with a good network of people who share a vision for your success.

The Art of Storytelling: Helping Other Students Win

MBAKEN: One thing that made me really want to interview you is that you have experience on both sides: you’ve won scholarships yourself, and you’ve assisted other students in applying and winning. Can you tell us a bit about how you support other students?

Cathia: I’ll share one of my proudest, full-circle moments: I was able to help one of my very own students get awarded the Dell Scholarship! I had to push him hard to apply because he didn’t think he would get it or that he was good enough, but he was successful.

Supporting students boils down to two main things:

1. Administrative Discipline: They have to stay on top of deadlines and submit exactly what is requested. If a scholarship checklist says it needs A, B, C, and D, you need to give them A, B, C, and D. If you leave off ‘D’, you knock yourself out of the running over a small missing piece.

2. Finding Their Story: The biggest part is helping students find their unique story. I remember working with some kids who would say, “I grew up with both my mom and my dad, life was good, I have nothing to talk about.” That’s not true! Everyone’s story is different. The best scholarship essays are the ones where you talk about overcoming a challenge. What is a challenge to me doesn’t have to be a challenge to you, but we’ve all overcome something. It could be personal growth, dealing with a lack of confidence, or internal obstacles.

Scholarships look for a compelling story that helps them see why giving you this money will make a difference in your life and your community. People love to help people, and if they feel they can be a part of your success journey, it makes them feel great too.

Practical Gems for the Scholarship Search

MBAKEN: You mentioned a great practical step: leaning into the application checklist and staying on top of deadlines. What is another practical step you would tell families to take when searching for opportunities?

Cathia: Look for local, smaller scholarships. A lot of times, people want to go exclusively for the $20,000, $50,000, or $100,000 awards. That’s great—go for them! But you can also win twenty different $200 or $500 scholarships, rack them up, and achieve the exact same financial effect. Put just as much effort and dedication into the small ones as you do the big ones.

Another practical step in the search is identifying your unique traits. Focus on your personal “labels,” qualities, or identifiers. There is a scholarship for almost every single trait you can think of.

MBAKEN: That’s an excellent piece of advice. It’s easy for people to go for the obvious ones, like scholarships based on race or community demographics. But some of the most overlooked opportunities are highly specific. The other day, I saw a scholarship opportunity for tall people (I’m tall, so there are options for me!). There are scholarships out there if you have freckles, if you suffer from anxiety or mental health challenges, or if you’ve lost a parent. I even saw one recently for students who practice vegetarianism! Cast that net wide.

What’s beautiful is that a lot of times, different applications ask for the exact same information over and over again. Can you give us a practical gem on how families can handle these repetitive prompts?

Cathia: Yes! Master three core components to build a foundational application packet:

• The Go-To Essay: Write a stellar personal statement focused on overcoming adversity, a challenge, or showing personal growth.

• The Accomplishments List: Create a comprehensive record of all your involvements and achievements.

• The Future Vision: Clearly state what you are interested in pursuing moving forward.

If you have a strong, solid master answer for those three things, you can easily tweak and recycle them for multiple scholarship opportunities. Of course, when an application asks specifically, “Why this scholarship?”, you want to make sure you tailor the text to build a genuine point of connection.

A Note on “No-Essay” Scholarships

Cathia: I should also mention that “no-essay” scholarships do exist. For example, there are milestone-based scholarships where you are asked to complete different steps on a college-readiness track. Every time you complete a task, you enter a drawing. One of my students was actually awarded a $40,000 scholarship as a high school junior through a no-essay program just by starting early, creating a college list, and completing designated research tasks!

MBAKEN: That’s awesome, but I want to add a quick caveat to those opportunities. While credible options exist, you have to be careful. If an online opportunity says, “Take two minutes to get in the running to win a scholarship,” with zero effort required, I generally stay away. Those are often sweepstakes designed to collect your personal information and sell it to companies targeting you for student loans. If it takes a couple of seconds to apply, it might not be a legitimate opportunity. Would you say that’s fair?

Cathia: Yes, that is fair. There are a lot of scams out there, and you need to use discretion to ensure an opportunity is credible. The specific milestone program I mentioned is run by the College Board—the same organization that manages AP testing and the SAT—so they are highly reputable. Always do your research to verify the provider before handing over your information.

Long-Term Value: How the Process Prepares You for Adulthood

MBAKEN: We have less than a minute left. If all else fails and a student doesn’t win a scholarship, does the application experience still lend itself to adult life? Are these strategies transferable?

Cathia: The first thing that comes to mind is the job search.

What you’re doing in a scholarship essay and what you’re doing in a job search share a massive overlap: you are trying to communicate the value you add, the difference you make, and who you are as a person. You are explaining why someone should invest in you—whether that investment is a scholarship check or adding you to a professional team. The skills you develop while applying for scholarships are completely transferable to applications for jobs, internships, and future career opportunities.

Final Words of Encouragement

Cathia: I just want to encourage everybody that paying for college and finding the money to do so is completely doable and accessible. It can actually happen with a strategy, a clear goal, and knowledge. The more you know, the more you are able to accomplish. And Deborah, thank you so much for having me and inviting me to speak and share my experiences. I appreciate it!

MBAKEN: Beautiful! That is the perfect segue for a shameless plug: here at MBAKEN, that is exactly what we do. We help families find college funding using creative strategies that most people overlook so that students can graduate debt-free.

As a final note: just because you get into college doesn’t mean the scholarship search is over! You can apply for scholarships during your freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years of college—and even after you graduate. Personally, when I was working as a teacher in Baltimore, I won a loan forgiveness award that paid off $15,000 of my student debt because I taught in a high-need area for four years. It is never too late, no matter where you are on the continuum.

Thank you all so much for tuning in, and we’ll catch you on the next episode! Catch you later, bye!