Scholarship programs—it's all we do.

Co-Founder & Principal Consultant

With nearly a decade of leadership experience at her region’s community foundation, Sarah Battersby successfully transformed their scholarship program from a disconnected administrative burden into a nationally recognized, integrated initiative that effectively complements grantmaking strategies. Her expertise extends beyond program management to include aligning donor missions with student needs, integrating internship and fellowship opportunities, and enhancing staff capacity. Prior to her philanthropic work, Sarah held diverse roles in higher education, including Student Affairs, Financial Aid, Admissions, and Career Services, providing her with a deep understanding of the higher education landscape. She holds a Master's in Social Work with a concentration in Management and Community Practice and a certificate in Nonprofit Management, further solidifying her expertise in the non-profit sector. Sarah is passionate about connecting donors with impactful scholarship programs that truly serve today's students and actively mentors aspiring professionals through programs like the National Scholarship Providers Association’s peer mentorship program.

Co-Founder & Principal Consultant

Julia Da Silva’s career includes managing over 45 scholarship funds and donor relationships at her region's community foundation, where she implemented transformative processes such as a universal application with student-award matching functionality and a database migration. Julia’s analytical approach is rooted in her passion for process evaluation; she meticulously examines scholarship workflows to enhance efficiency and maximize impact, helping providers better steward their funds and reach more deserving students. She has published research on best practices among community foundation scholarship providers, a resource that continues to guide the field. Julia’s academic foundation includes dual Master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Administration, alongside a certificate in Nonprofit Management from UNC-Chapel Hill, where she honed her skills in program evaluation and data analysis—expertise she now applies at Students First Consulting to support students and scholarship programs nationwide.

Co-Founder & Principal Consultant

Erika Orsulak is a strategist with a passion for designing innovative scholarship programs that create meaningful, lasting change. With over a decade in grantmaking, she honed her skills in developing cross-industry collaborations and systems-level investments before discovering her love for scholarships in 2012. Erika thrives at blending big-picture vision with practical solutions, focusing on expanding access for underresourced students, crafting robust program strategies, and tackling challenges like negative scholarship displacement—work that has earned recognition from the National Science Foundation’s I-CORPS initiative. Prior to launching Students First Consulting in 2022, Erika had a thriving practice as an independent consultant to organizations in the scholarship industry, with clients including a national scholarship provider with a $20 million scholarship portfolio as well as the National Scholarship Providers Association. As a first-generation college graduate from a low-income, rural background, Erika’s own experience fuels her dedication to empowering students and their communities through scholarships and supportive programs.