How to write a winning scholarship essay - Gen Tanabe, Kelly Tanabe 2018
The intangible benefits of applying
30 winning scholarship essays
U.C. Berkeley Scholarship Connection
You have something to gain by applying for scholarships even if you don’t win says Leah Carroll, coordinator of U.C. Berkeley’s Haas Scholars program and former program coordinator of the university’s Scholarship Connection. In her roles Carroll has assisted Berkeley students with applying for awards, especially for the highly competitive scholarships, including the Rhodes, Marshall and Truman.
While Carroll gives students feedback on their essays and practices interviewing them, she reminds them that there is more than scholarship dollars at stake.
“I also emphasize the fringe benefits. For starters you get to know your professors better than before since you need to speak with them,” she says. Carroll adds, “You also get practice presenting yourself in interviews and on paper.” This is helpful for students who will soon be applying for jobs or for graduate school. She says that the essays can even serve as rough drafts of graduate school admission essays.
And looking at the big picture, Carroll says that applying for one of these awards “forces you to analyze your own life.” She says that one of the things she enjoys most about her job is helping students clarify their purpose in life through the process of applying for scholarships.
donald H. matsuda, Jr., Truman scholarship winner Working as an intern for a health clinic, Donald read an article in the New York Times. The headline was, “Forty-four Million Americans without Health Insurance.” When he learned through the article that over one-third of these Americans were children, he decided to take action. With the help of the clinic’s director, he secured the funding for and developed a series of insurance drives for Asian immigrant children. In addition to his work with the clinic, Donald is the founder of the San Mateo Children’s Health Insurance Program, the national director of United Students for Veterans’ Health and the founder of the Nepal Pediatric Clinical Internship.
A Stanford University student from Sacramento, California, where he attended Jesuit High School, Donald plans to use the $30,000 Truman Scholarship to obtain a medical degree and master’s degree in public administration and would eventually like to be the medical director of a nonprofit clinic to aid underserved populations and the uninsured.
When drinking water
When drinking water, my grandmother would often proclaim, “Never forget its source.” For some reason, I always enjoyed hearing her repeat these words of wisdom from her book of ancient Asian proverbs. Perhaps it was because I had grown to fully appreciate its true meaning—that one must always remember and treasure their ancestry and elders, who are viewed as the ultimate source of life. Or, perhaps it was because I felt this proverb effectively expressed my own sentiments about my life.
Growing up as an only child, I developed a very close relationship with my entire family and I greatly valued the time I was able to spend in the company of my elders, especially my grandmother. As a survivor of the Japanese American internment camps, she maintained an unbridled idealism, an impeccable work ethic and a genuine compassion for those in need. Moreover, she was intent on instilling these values in me when I was a young boy. I often looked to her as my true source of strength, for she always infused me with energy, passion and ideals.
Two years ago, I received a call from my parents urging me to return home.
When I got there, I saw my mother was on the verge of tears as she told me what was wrong: “Grandma passed away today. She had a massive stroke and the doctors did everything they could, but...” I embraced my mother and we cried for what seemed like an eternity. I soon realized that I had lost not only my grandmother, but also a precious source of inspiration and strength.
Since that tragic day, I have become a much stronger person. I have inter-nalized grandma’s work ethic, idealism and compassion so that my source of strength now comes from within. It is this new motivation that fuels my convictions and drives my passion for a life dedicated to public service.
Every day, when I pass by the elegantly sculpted water fountains on my way to class, I pause as cherished memories of my grandmother fill my mind, and I know in my heart that I will never forget my true source.