Scholarships help students from all backgrounds attend Saint Louis University. Hear from SLU pre med student Eric Piening on how donor support is helping on the first step of his journey to becoming a physician.Eric says: "Before researching it, I never really had thought about how much college was going to cost. And then when you go through these preliminary searches online, you see all these, you know, huge numbers where it’s going to cost thousands and thousands of dollars to go to school for college.And that's something that really worried me. And then coming here with different sorts of financial aid and scholarships is something that has really been alleviated. So I'm really grateful for those opportunities. If I had gone somewhere else, I might not have had the opportunity to work in a medical school or a medical school that puts so much emphasis on doing research for the community.And I also think that it's similar to my service opportunities at SLU, with their Jesuit background and kind of how they're in this densely populated city. There are so many opportunities to do service and help other people here, and I love that SLU puts an emphasis on that and has really allowed me to get involved here. After graduation, I am hoping to be accepted and matriculate into a medical school so that I can pursue what I find my calling to be of practicing medicine as a physician.So that is something that I'm very excited for the possibility of. The scholarships have enabled me to experience less financial pressure so I can dedicate more time to my studies and my extracurriculars outside of working. They really have enabled me to attend the school that I love and to really get the most out of my college education. "About SLU: Founded in 1818, Saint Louis University is one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic institutions. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering history as the first university west of the Mississippi River, SLU offers nearly 13,000 students a rigorous, transformative education of the whole person on campuses in St. Louis, Missouri, and Madrid, Spain. At the core of the University’s diverse community of scholars is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares students to make the world a better, more just place. Learn more at www.slu.edu.