Invest it into an index fund. Create an account with vanguard and buy some mutual funds. The earnings will likely outgrow the interest substantially. I was an idiot and used a 10k scholarship on tuition instead of investing back in 2009. It could have been 50k by now. Didn't make a bit of difference given my med school debt. Also from an immigrant family, first to go to college in the United States, no one was there to help me with the financial aid process. Feel free to pm. me if you have specific questions.