About ARIELLE
Greater Than Expectations, Inc. is proud to present this scholarship in honor of Arielle Rideau.
Arielle is the inspiration behind Greater Than Expectations, Inc. and the namesake for the inaugural scholarship. Arielle entered the foster care system at seven and stayed for ten years before getting pregnant and being emancipated at 17. In the years since, Arielle has focused her energy on being a mom, building her career, and providing unwavering friendship and support for those she loves.
Today, Arielle is a manager in the toxicology department of Quest Diagnostics. She is a devoted mother and enjoys spending quality time with her two beautiful sons, Aariyon and S.J. In her spare time, Arielle enjoys watching sports, shopping, and travel. Arielle’s passion is autism advocacy and educating her peers about autism awareness, which has inspired her to continue her education in Psychology as well as found Swimming with SJ, a non-profit in the greater Kansas City, Missouri area that caters to helping children with Autism learn to swim.
Arielle’s inspirational story is a true testament of a foster alum that had the Audacity to Succeed. Greater Than Expectations is proud to have Arielle as the namesake for their inaugural scholarship opportunity so that other foster care alum can see themselves in her and know that their current circumstance doesn’t define their ability to be great.
WHO WE HELP
Our mission is to educate and equip foster care youth with the essential tools necessary to transform their lives and discover their potential as leaders and change-makers in a challenging world. We believe that a college education is the catalyst for these transformations and discoveries. The Greater Than Expectation (GTE) scholarship helps audacious youth who will age out of foster care pursue and achieve what less than 3% of foster care alumni achieve, a college degree.
The GTE Scholarship helps audacious youth who will age out of foster care pursue and achieve what less than 3% of foster care alumni achieve, a college degree.
2026 SCHOLARSHIP AWARD AMOUNT
AWARD AMOUNT: Up to $1,500.00 per scholarship
2026 eligibility and criteria
● Students currently in foster care, kinship care or transitional living
● Who are planning to start an undergraduate institution or trade school in pursuit of a certification, Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree
Selection locality:
● Priority will be given to those who reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex
● Students who are currently in foster care within the United States is encouraged to apply
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
11:59pm on April 30th, 2026
Part 1: Application & ESSAY
Please complete this form and essay submission. Only 1 application per person will be evaluated.
1. Please answer any two (2) of the questions listed below.
2. The written response should be no more than one page in length.
3. Please include your first and last name with all submissions.
4. Essays will be evaluated based on need and substance of the content.
APPLICATION AND ATTACHMENTS CHECKLIST
Completed scholarship application
A completed essay entry. This is your opportunity to help the committee see how this scholarship will aid your future goals.
Optional: Any additional information you feel will aid the scholarship committee, such as a letter of reccomendationverification of community involvement, creative or artistic work, passion projects, etc. Please send supporting documents to info@greaterthanexpectations.org .
**Please note that you will be required to show proof of enrollment prior to the disbursement of the award.
***If awarded this scholarship, the GTE scholarship committee asks that you provide feedback after the first semester of your progress, takeaways from your initial college experience, and the impact of the scholarship on your experience.
APPLICATION DEADLINE:
11:59pm on April 30th, 2026