What do you think?

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Hi all,

First of all, thanks for reading this post. I've never posted something like this online before, so thanks for taking the time, I suppose in a way it's cathartic for me.

So ok, here's my story. As you can tell from the title, my parents are relatively rich and I've had a relatively easy childhood/life. I'm not saying that I wear Armani and buy champagne, but it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility if I wanted to. Please though, I hope you don't take that as being obnoxious.

But anyway, my question is this: Is it ethical for me, being a child of privilege, to apply for scholarships to do a summer internship where I'd work for the public interest (providing legal assistance to minority communities facing eviction, eminent domain, etc. no more info, sorry, as then I might be identifiable)?

On the one hand, I want to be self-sufficient and not rely on my parent's assets during the summer. Applying for the scholarship (and of course, this presumes I get it) would be me "doing it for myself", in a way.
On the other hand, there are hundreds of more deserving, and definitely more needy, individuals who would love to have the summer scholarship to do a public interest internship they've been dreaming about. I have access to so many resources, and I'd feel horrible about taking away someone's chance at helping a community, or even *their* community that they're trying to better.

In a sense, getting the scholarship would make me feel better about myself, raise my self-esteem: I can support myself in a field I'm interested in and committed to without my parents assistance. But is it right to pursue that goal of self-assurance at the cost of tangibly affecting someone else's dreams of helping others, especially when they have fewer resources than i do?

Thanks again for reading.