How to write a winning scholarship essay - Gen Tanabe, Kelly Tanabe 2018

National or international issues
30 winning scholarship essays

elizabeth ashlea wood, optimist international essay contest winner

After having witnessed a nuclear disaster, Elizabeth knew that her life was changed. She says, “It really opened my eyes. It got me away from thinking that I’m young and can live forever.” Touched, she wrote about the experience for this award to share her fear and realizations with others. A graduate of the Classen School of Advanced Studies for Performing and Visual Arts in Oklahoma City, she is studying literature, writing and the arts at Eugene Lang College in New York City.

The Tokai nuclear disaster

Last year on an October evening in Japan, I enjoyed the rain, walking slowly to my host family’s farm for the night. After I yelled the customary “Tadaima” and removed my shoes my host mother pulled out a heavy English dictionary. She searched for a word and then pointed excitedly. Above her finger I read “radiation.” The Tokai nuclear power plant two miles away was experiencing a severe accident. Soon trucks driving by screamed warnings in Japanese to prepare for nuclear disaster. My body was numb.

I had been to Hiroshima the week before. All I could imagine were the grotesque pictures of goiters and dripping flesh. Photographs of the burnt remains of an ancient city flashed in my head. I remembered seeing the “Daisy Girl” commercial from LBJ’s presidential campaign in government class. It slowly played in my mind, a blonde child holding a daisy, framed by a green-gray mushroom cloud. My imagination forced me to expect the worst.

The air terrified me. I thought I was suffocating. In that moment I could not understand how my life had led to this crucial moment. I had left my home for a beautiful opportunity to live in Japan and experience the culture. I had joined an exchange program in a small village by the ocean. This succession of serendipitous events led me to the only place in the entire world where a severe nuclear disaster was occurring. My choices had exposed me to the ultimate weapon of our time; I was waiting for radiation to subside. The rice paper windows and layers of silk robes provided little comfort. There was nothing I could do to protect myself from the danger. In that moment I could only learn.

The world’s issues no longer can disappear as I close a schoolbook. On that autumn evening I was suddenly a part of one of the nemeses of the twentieth century: nuclear energy. Ironically, my frightening experience was only an accident. When I decided to embrace a three-month adventure I never expected to trade in theater and friends for a serious nuclear disaster.

My eyes were pried open to make me realize that the world’s issues are not separate from my American life. I realized that I had been educated about the world to understand cause and effects, the cycles of history and of the future, but I had not metacognitively incorporated them into a worldview.

That evening reached into my mind and opened a door to the realities of this world. The Tokai disaster threatened my life, but it also demonstrated the capabilities for any person to experience the same shocking circumstances. In Japan, quarantined for days on a Buddhist farm, I could see no separation of myself from other cultures. I realized that I could no longer segregate America from other countries, my race from other races, Oklahoma from Japan. Three days after the Tokai nuclear disaster I stepped out of the farmhouse into the fresh sunshine of a glorious oriental garden.

Over a cup of green tea I determined to be committed to my new perception of the world as an entirety.

elisa Tatiana Juárez, Target all-around scholarship winner

Based on her research in osteoporosis and gerontology, Elisa has placed first and best in show in a number of science competitions including the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and the South Florida Science and Engineering Fair. But each time she entered a science competition, she noticed that economically disadvantaged students were underrepresented. She did something to change this. Working with the Miami Museum of Science and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami, she founded the Students and Teachers Advocating Research Science (STARS) program to provide assistance to economically-disadvantaged middle school children.

In addition to STARS, Elisa has been recognized by the United States Air Force for her research in gerontology and was selected to present her work to the Florida state legislature for her research on osteoporosis. Her commitment to the sciences has paid off. She has won scholarships including the National Hispanic Heritage Youth Award for Science and Technology and the Science Silver Knight Award. A graduate of Coral Reef Senior High School in Miami, she is a student at Brown University.

Stars

I developed the STARS (Students and Teachers Advocating Research Science) Project to provide information, materials and, most importantly, mentors to help middle school students from at-risk environments to complete and present successful science projects. STARS now helps the Miami Museum of Science and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Miami to “support and empower single-parent families to actively engage in their children’s science education.”

STARS grew as an extension of my own involvement with science research projects that have been successful at local, regional, state and international levels. I had a lot of support from family, teachers and mentors and wanted to find a way to offer similar support and opportunities for students who didn’t have all that. American students are losing ground internationally in science and math, and I wanted to find a way to share my passion in tangible ways.

Why science? I feel that it is important for every kid to be involved in science. The Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) showed that U.S. 12th graders outperformed only two (Cyprus and South Africa) of the 21 participating countries in math and science. All kids need to have access to better opportunities in science, and this project has allowed kids who had never even thought about science research to discover that they can do anything they want to do.

I think the most memorable part of this project was to see the kids’ eyes sparkle when they talked about their ideas for projects and then began to see the results of actually doing the research. I remember at the end of a workshop, one of the girls came up to me and said that she really enjoyed the day. I asked her what she meant, and she said with a smile, “Well, I don’t really do science. I’m more into English and literature. When I heard about this, I didn’t really want to come, but I am so glad I did. I had so much fun learning that I could do a good project. I think my teacher will be proud.”

I am now designing a STARS science curriculum that correlates with the National Science Education Standards. I hope that Big Brothers Big Sisters chapters around the country will be able to use the curriculum to encourage their “littles” and “bigs” to participate more actively in science.

Based on this experience so far, I would tell other young people that there is nothing more rewarding than realizing that you can make a difference.

That you can identify a need, develop a solution, find people to help you accomplish your goals. Of course, I would also tell them that science is everywhere and is exciting and can help you learn about the universe and about yourself.

elisa Tatiana Juárez, presbyterian church usa scholarship winner

The power to change the world

When people ask me what I want to do when I grow up, I answer them quite simply and firmly, “I am going to change the world.” I am 17 years old, but I have known for a very long time that I would, in some way, be responsible for shaping the world of the future. Crazy? Maybe. Impossible?

Definitely not.

Unfortunately, in my experience, it has been kids my age who tell me that I am just a dreamer and that there is no way I could possibly make a difference in the world. “Come on Elisa,” they tell me, “You’re just a kid.

No one in his or her right mind is going to listen to some high school girl.

Don’t bother; no one cares anyway. Someone else will do it.”

I think that the greatest opportunity facing youth today is the power to better the world around us by using new tools, new technologies and a new understanding of the global community. By the same token I believe that the most urgent problem facing youth today is indifference. The general attitude about everything and anything is “Who cares? I am not that important, there is nothing I can do about it.” I find this incredibly sad and distressing. God gives us the intelligence to build the tools; we only need to use them with the guidance of His Spirit guided by His love.

My generation is very cynical when it comes to helping out. They claim that what they have to say couldn’t possibly be important enough to be heard by others. What they don’t understand are two very important concepts.

First of all, the majority of the youth today don’t realize that there are plenty of problems in their own community. Making a difference doesn’t always mean moving to Somalia to end hunger. It could mean something along the lines of helping a migrant family learn the basics of the English language. Second of all, youth today don’t realize how something very simple can change someone’s entire world. By teaching that family English, for example, they will feel more comfortable in this country.

Growing up I heard a story about an old man who goes down to the sea one morning. He notices that a young girl is reaching down and throwing starfish into the water. Curious, he walks over to the girl and asks her what she is doing. She replies, “Well, the tide is awfully low, and if I don’t throw the starfish into the water the sun will dry them out.” The old man looked at her and laughed. There were miles of shore with thousands of starfish.

The little girl couldn’t possibly throw all the starfish back in the sea. He told her she wouldn’t be able to make a difference. The little girl bent down scooping up yet another starfish. She turned it over in her hand processing what the man had told her. Then, looking at the old man, she placed the starfish in his hands and helped him throw it back into the sea and moved on to the next starfish. She looked over her shoulder and said, “Well, to that starfish, I made a world of difference.”

This is where the story traditionally ends. I have added on to it. The man, realizing the power this little girl had over the lives of the starfish, called up his grandchildren. Together they worked at saving the stranded starfish.

That day, maybe not all the starfish were saved, but those that were, I’m sure, were very grateful. They continued living because of the determination of a little girl who knew that she could make a difference and could find ways to get others involved.

We must each find our starfish. If we throw our stars wisely and well, the world will be blessed. I constantly am praying for the strength to carry on and for the courage to help others find the power within them to help shape the world of today.

shashank bengali, scripps-Howard college Journalism scholarship winner

Shashank knew that his parents wouldn’t be able to foot the entire bill for his education at a private college, especially since his younger brother would soon follow him to college. Rather than look for a less-expensive school, Shashank decided to take action by applying for scholarships. His advisers at Whitney High School in Cerritos, California, suggested that he apply for the awards for which he would be the best candidate. Journalism awards were a natural fit.

Since the age of 13, Shashank has worked for his school newspaper.

As the editor, he won a national competition for the Knight Ridder Minority Journalism Scholarship, which allowed him to intern at four newspapers across the country while in school. In addition, he won a full-tuition scholarship from the University of Southern California and Scripps-Howard College Journalism Scholarship, awarded to 10 college journalists in the country. He recently graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism, political science and French and is working as a Missouri state correspondent for The Kansas City Star.

Media Misunderstandings

On the day of the New Hampshire primary this year, the online magazine Slate.com posted early exit-poll results on its site before voting had closed for the day, inciting an enormous outcry in the traditional media. The major newspapers and television networks, bound by contract to honor an embargo on those results, said Slate violated the law—and a journalistic trust with the people. Slate disagreed, and went ahead publishing exit-poll results on the days of several other primaries this season, before being threatened with a lawsuit.

On the question of law, at least, Slate never agreed to any embargo. The other question, of the people’s trust, is murkier, because it’s unclear whether knowing preliminary election results actually deters voters from going to the polls. Tempers ran high on both sides here, with Slate columnist Jack Schafer going so far as to write in a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece that the Big Three networks’ coverage of primary results is “all an act.”

I bring up this story to illustrate a point: the relationship between “old”

and “new” media is in real disrepair. Finger-pointing and mutual misunder-standing rule the day, when diverse news organizations hardly seem, most times, to understand each other’s roles. The fact is, there are now three ways to disseminate information in the world—in print, in broadcast and online. All three have merit, and all three, in some form or another, appear to be here to stay.

What’s needed, then, is greater cooperation and less co-optation. If, as many believe, the best news organizations of the near future will be those that are diversified and bring elements of print, broadcast and online media to bear together on their coverage, those journalists who are trained in each form will be the most valuable. I subscribe to this view and I will be one of those “hybrid” journalists, helping guide a shift to more complete, convergent news coverage that encompasses the three forms because I know the power of each.

I consider myself lucky to be around for the old media-new media debate because it’s a vital one. I believe that much of the disdain on both sides is a product of misconceptions—and a lack of experience. My generation’s position is unique: I’ve grown up with 24-hour news channels and the Internet, so I know their immediacy and reach in a visceral way. But the reason I got into journalism in the first place was that I love the written word and the prudence of print media. I know that people will always need their daily newspaper and their weekly newsmagazine, no matter how quickly TV and websites can give them their fix.

So I’ve explored all three realms of journalism during my time in college, and I’ve discovered that I’m a journalist first and foremost, gladly unfet-tered by any other labels. Internships at newspapers have reinforced my newsgathering and writing skills. My time as executive producer of USC’s nightly newscast has taught me that “print values” can be tuned for broadcast—for visual impact and swift, assured responses to breaking-news situations. And each time a distant friend or relative e-mails me to say they saw our webcast and have feedback, or (better yet) to offer story ideas from their part of the world, I learn the power of the Internet as a medium of news.

Good journalism can be done with these three modes working in concert, but the best journalism can only come with responsible and well-trained leaders at the top, who know how to direct multifaceted coverage because they believe in it and have done it before. That’s what I want to do and am learning how to do—help lead the new wave.

I would encourage the sort of synergy that Tribune is pursuing—and that reporters at CNN practice daily when they submit their stories for that network’s TV, radio and online products. There is no reason consumers shouldn’t have the benefit of the fullest possible picture in a news story; after all, it’s what we should strive to give them each time around. Already, on a small scale, I am working to achieve that convergence on our campus.

Next year, our newscast and the student newspaper—two entirely distinct organizations—will team up for one in-depth story. We will each pursue the angles to that story that are best suited to our particular medium—visual stories for TV, for example, and longer analysis pieces for print—and we’ll use our websites to complete the coverage, including any long documents or transcripts of interviews that can’t fit newshole or airtime.

A news organization should be dedicated to the kind of public service in journalism that may uproot the company’s tradition for the sake of its work. It makes good business sense, because through responsible convergence you can reach more people with greater speed than your competition. But most important, it improves the product—and that is good journalism.

Of course, I don’t know exactly how I’m going to get to a position where I can help implement this vision I share. One thing that’s certain about this changing market is that nothing’s certain. For the time being, after graduating college, I plan to write for a newspaper—because that’s my first love, and still the traditional journalist’s ground zero. That’s a personal bias, I admit, but my experience in the other realms will probably make me a better print reporter. From that first job to wherever I end up, it’s a yet-to-be-paved road. But I am confident in the future of journalism in this new era, and I’ll remain dedicated to it.

lindsay Hyde, national React Take action award & Toyota scholar winner

When her grandmother received a corneal transplant that saved her vision, it motivated Lindsay to ensure that others were educated about the benefits of organ donation. From this single experience the Organ Donor Project was born.

Over three years, the Miami student secured corporate sponsorships to produce an educational curriculum and informational video for other students to view and create their own organ donation awareness programs. The project expanded from Lindsay’s own high school, Southwest Miami High School, to 12 schools across the nation and five in Malaysia, Australia, Costa Rica and the United Kingdom.