What can be more natural than the intersection of Taylor Swift fandom and college students? Well, this was exactly what went down for fans of Swift’s fantastic album, 1989. Swifties were eligible to get some of their tuition fees knocked off, it turns out.
According to Bold.org, a website dedicated to connecting students with scholarships, the application deadline was Aug. 1 with an announcement date of Sept. 1. The scholarship was actually funded by Bold.org itself. It is the result of what they call an “Album of the Year March Madness” contest.
What was the 1989 scholarship worth, and who won it?
Students apparently voted during the month of March and “have crowned Taylor Swift’s 1989 as [their] Album of the Year,” the site said. It’s not entirely surprising that one of Swift’s albums was chosen, considering the artist continues to break Billboard chart records to this day. The website lists broad criteria for eligibility for the scholarship as follows:
“Any student at any education level with any GPA is eligible to apply for this scholarship. The only requirement is that you are a fan of Taylor Swift’s 1989 album!”
Bold.org lists an amount of $1,989 for the scholarship. It also lists that one winner has already been chosen.
The winner of the competition has been announced to be Hannah Kelcourse, a master’s student at Florida State University. She candidly spoke about her relationship with Swift and her music in her essay, writing:
“I find solace in the lyrics and tunes of Taylor Swift’s ‘1989’ album. Among its masterpieces, “Clean” resonates with me most profoundly as it parallels my journey of self-discovery and growth, particularly after grieving the loss of my brother, who left this world at just 33 years of age. The same age I am today.”
Why is 1989 so important to fans?
Whether it’s being obsessed with her past relationship with John Mayer or hotly anticipating a rumored Eras Tour documentary in the works, there’s clearly no end to what Swifties will do to show their devotion to the artist, including applying for scholarships in her name!
Though Swift’s influence has only gotten stronger over the years, her 2014 album 1989 marked a milestone in terms of cementing her as the modern queen of pop music. The artist who started out making country music blew the world away with something that resembled Talking Heads in their heyday. The series of songs mainly touches upon the complex emotions that have resulted from her past complicated romantic relationships.
The album was so popular that singer-songwriter Ryan Adams unironically made a cover version of it, which is also quite good. The album’s influence only continues to grow, as Swift recently re-released it. This is her fourth re-recorded album and fans have had a heyday listening and enjoying the album once again. There are also new songs on the re-release, including “Slut!”, “Say Don’t Go”, “Now That We Don’t Talk”, and “Is It Over Now?”.