For more than 15 years, the APRO Charitable Foundation has annually provided scholarships to rent-to-own professionals and their families. APRO members have contributed generously to the APRO Scholarship Fund – awarding 522 scholarships totaling $1,180,250 to date – empowering students connected with RTO to pursue college degrees and successful futures.
Missouri native Lynsey Smith – one of the 39 deserving 2024 APRO Scholarship recipients – is studying Accounting at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. Her mom, Beth Smith, is a relative newcomer to RTO, working as a Warehouse Assistant at National TV Sales & Rental in Lebanon, Missouri, for the past 2.5 years.
“My dream job is to work as a Certified Public Accountant,” Lynsey says. “I’ve known since I was about 14 that being a CPA is what I wanted to do. I find it super-cool that you can learn just about everything about a company from its posted financial records.”
During her freshman year, Lynsey learned some important skills outside the classroom that will benefit her in her career as a CPA and in life.
“I had some significant time-management issues when I got to college,” says Lynsey. “It was so different than high school. I was falling behind on my assignments, not eating regularly, and not sleeping enough. I discovered one of the most important things I needed to stop doing was making excuses for myself. Next, I set up a schedule to help me shift my state of mind when it comes to how much time I should work during the day and how to stay disciplined to it. I caught up on my schoolwork and got myself on an eating and sleeping schedule; it’s been very successful, and I still stick to it. I learned a lot from this experience, including that not only is it OK to ask for help, but it can make a huge difference.”
Lynsey is a member of the Truman State cheer team (go, bulldogs!), part of the pre-McNair Scholars program, and volunteers at an early learning center. She’s also worked during off-school times at her hometown Applebee’s Grill + Bar for the past three years, primarily as a server.
“My mom lost her last job at a daycare when it closed unexpectedly,” Lynsey says. “I’m the second of four kids, so it put our family of six into a real financial bind. We’re very grateful to the rent-to-own industry for her job opportunity, and for this scholarship assistance with my education.”
Lynsey’s is one of the dozens of positive stories that generous donations from the RTO community make happen each year. Click here to learn more and contribute to this invaluable industry effort.