Community Service & Volunteerism - 30 winning scholarship essays

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

Community Service & Volunteerism
30 winning scholarship essays

vanessa deanne perplies, Target all-around scholarship winner

As a volunteer for the Los Angeles Police Department Explorer Scout Program, Vanessa has assisted with crime prevention surveillance, evidence searches and police ride alongs. She volunteered nearly 400

hours with the program designed for students who are interested in law enforcement and community service. Her work was one of the reasons she won the Target All-Around Scholarship, which is based on community service. In addition to volunteering with the Explorer Scout Program, Vanessa also raised funds and walked with the North Hollywood High School Zoo Magnet AIDS team and volunteered for Project Chicken Soup preparing and delivering food to AIDS patients.

A student at U.C. Santa Barbara, she is majoring in sociology and plans to become either a sociologist or journalist.

Serving & Protecting

One Sunday morning, bright and early, approximately 25 Girl Scouts arrived for a tour of the Los Angeles Police Department Foothill Police Station.

As a Los Angeles Police Department Explorer Scout, it was my task to help these girls. Experiences like this one have shaped and solidified my career goals, in addition to benefiting the children of Los Angeles.

The girls, ranging in ages from 4 to 11, had not only an enjoyable adventure but also learned about important issues such as 911, acting in emer-gencies and overall safety. I helped the girls try on riot gear, turn on the lights and sirens of police cars and use the police radios. I escorted them through empty jail cells, reminding them of the dangers of the world and teaching them to stay safe.

For young girls who are rarely taught self-reliance, this experience taught them how to take care of themselves. I was keeping people safe as well as helping them grow up to be stronger, wiser women. I could see their delight and curiosity at the unfamiliar environment of a police station, and I was happy to demystify law enforcement in such a positive manner.

The gratitude of the little girls showed me the simple appreciation in a child’s smile was a priceless feeling. The Girl Scouts were not the only ones who learned; I realized that the things that make me happiest also make others happy. I have been inspired and challenged to learn and do more, and especially to reach out and share the knowledge I can, changing the lives of others for the better.

More essay advice from the winners

Scholarship Winners

Here are some more tips on crafting your essay from scholarship winners.—Gen & Kelly Jason Morimoto

U.C. Berkeley student and scholarship winner “The way to shine is by crafting a story in your essay that brings out your strengths. I like to give a lot of personal examples as to why I am involved in certain activities. I try to avoid the generic responses like ’it was a good learning experience’ or ’I wanted to try something new.’ For example, I often use the example of how I walked on to a national champion rugby team as a mere 5’6” player with no prior experience. The coach took one look at me and wanted to laugh. I told him that all I wanted was a tryout. With a lot of determination and hard work, I proved myself capable of playing with world class athletes.”

Kristin N. Javaras

Rhodes Scholar

“I highly recommend showing it to people who have won fellowships themselves or who have read successful fellowship application essays before (and the more people the better).

Also, I feel that the revision process was crucial for my essay: I went through about seven or eight drafts of my personal statement!”

svati singla, discover card Tribute award scholarship winner

Svati says that she has never let society’s perception of age stop her.

This was one of the factors that led her to publish an abstract in the American Journal of Hypertension after years of research—at the age of 11. Throughout junior high and high school, she continued her research at East Carolina University on fetal alcohol syndrome, won accolades from the U.S. Navy and Army for her research and spent three years shadowing surgeons at East Carolina University Health Systems.

After graduating from J.H. Rose High School in Greenville, North Carolina, Svati is studying biology with a concentration in genetics at Duke University. She has won an extraordinary $1 million in scholarships including the Discover Card Gold Tribute Award, Benjamin N. Duke Leadership Scholarship, Boy Scouts of America National Scholarship and National Merit Scholarship. After graduating, she plans to attend medical school.

Giving back to my community

I dedicate many hours of my time to significant community service activities. Through my participation in such service projects and activities, I have learned many valuable lessons about the significance of each individual in the community.

As a literacy volunteer, I am given the opportunity to see the glow on a mother’s face when she realizes that her son will finally be given the gift of the ability to read. I am given the satisfaction of knowing that my time is positively contributing to another’s life.

Another community service activity that has significantly influenced the community is my involvement in Teen Court. Teen Court is an alternative program to the court system that provides graduated penalties for juvenile offenders. It is an innovative program that benefits teens on both sides of the court system. The teens who are brought before the Teen Court learn to accept the consequences of their actions, without having a flaw in their permanent record. On the other hand, the teens that comprise the court system are educated about the justice system while they work together for awareness and compliance with the law. As a member of the Teen Court program, I am able to provide far-reaching benefits for all members of the community by keeping the youth well disciplined and well educated.

Recognizing the need for volunteers at a facility for mentally retarded children, I immediately seized the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of these children. As I read and play with them, I realize how simple pleasures bring so much satisfaction and joy to their hearts. I take great pride, knowing that I am spreading a feeling of warmth and happiness with my actions. At the local Boy’s and Girl’s Club, I have initiated a program, called “Bookworm”, which encourages young children to read. As I go and read to these children, I realize that I am not only increasing their interest in reading, but that I am also serving as a role model to them. The children are all motivated to learn and make great strides in their reading.

Their interest in education creates a positive attitude towards learning that is beneficial to the community.

As I volunteer for other organizations such as the Salvation Army, American Cancer Society, Knights of Columbus, Greenville Community Shelter, East Carolina University Health Systems and more, I realize how my actions can be compared to a pebble in a pond. Despite the size of the pebble, once it is thrown into the pond, the entire pond feels the pebble’s impact through the ripples. Similarly, though I am just one individual in a large community, I am able to make a difference. Dedicated to community service, I am the pebble in the pond.

donald H. matsuda, Jr., Truman scholarship winner Camp ReCreation

Working with mentally and physically disabled children over the past four summers has been one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences of my undergraduate career. Before volunteering with Camp ReCreation for Disabled Kids, I shied away from any interaction with the disabled community and remained distant from this group of people whose lives and problems seemed so very different from my own. Nevertheless, I felt compelled to bridge this gap, and I decided to board the bus for my first experience at Camp ReCreation.

During this first summer, I took care of a deaf boy named Michael. At first, I was quite frustrated because I was unable to establish any means of communication with him. However, I did not see this problem as an insurmountable obstacle; instead, I viewed it as a challenge that could be overcome with some dedication and perseverance on my part. Over the next week, I voraciously read all books I could find on sign language, and I devoted most of my nights to mastering this very complex form of communication. My tireless efforts paid off, as Michael began to recognize my signs and responded with frequent smiles, indicating his understanding and acceptance. As Michael began to open up and even sign back, I realized that we had developed a special and meaningful relationship—one that provided him with happiness and one that solidified my genuine love of service.

I eagerly returned to camp for three more summers. One summer I worked with Nick, a mildly autistic teenager to improve his communication skills.

Last year, I helped Brittney, a young girl with a neurological disorder, in developing better motor coordination. Despite the differing needs of each camper, I still maintained the camp’s mission: to provide a positive and healthy summer experience for disabled youth. In return, I gained the love and friendship of disabled kids and learned that these children have needs that are not unlike my own. I truly value my Camp ReCreation experience because it has fueled my passion to protect and promote the rights of children nationwide.

emily Kendall, association for women in science scholarship winner

To tutor a struggling math student, Emily drew on the patience that her own teachers had shown her when she was younger. This is the topic of Emily’s essay, which she wrote to win a number of scholarships and to apply to Harvard, Duke, MIT, Washington University in St. Louis, Caltech, Vanderbilt and the University of Chicago. In fact, she not only gained admission to all but also received a number of offers of full scholarships. In addition to her volunteer work, she has been named a national semifinalist in both the Intel and Siemens-Westinghouse national science research competitions, led her high school academic team to two state championships and been one of two delegates from her state to participate in the U.S. Senate Youth Program. A graduate of North High School in Evansville, Indiana, she is now studying physics at Harvard University.

A lesson for both of us

June pursed her lips and furrowed her brow as I plunged into yet another problem demonstrating least common denominators. Recognizing June’s confusion and exasperation, I wracked my brain for a simpler approach, but as I spoke, the blank expression on June’s face foretold my impending failure. I waited hopefully as she puzzled over the final step, but she dropped her pencil and sighed, “Negative numbers just don’t make sense!”

Clearly, June was frustrated. So was I. All my life, I had ceaselessly soaked up knowledge from books and asked questions about everything around me. I explored new ideas; I pushed myself to achieve and to learn far more than my classes required; and when it came to math, I would gladly spend days pondering a challenging problem. Why couldn’t this girl be more like I am? Or at least more like my other pupils? My other math students studied faithfully; my freshman debaters shared insightful new arguments with me daily; even little Hernando, whom I tutored in inner-city Chicago, had been thrilled to have a friend who would study with him.

Part of me wanted to give up on June, but then I realized that some of my own difficult experiences, which had shaped me greatly, could help me to help June. I recalled my painful rejection from the first grade “select choir.”

That experience, although it had taught me to accept failures with grace and learn from them, had still hurt terribly, so I resolved never to let anyone label June a failure at math. I also recalled my determination to make the eighth grade volleyball team and the countless hours I spent lifting weights and repeatedly serving the volleyball alone in my backyard before I earned a school uniform. Recognizing the persistence necessary to achieve something difficult, I determined to work my hardest until June mastered her algebra. Finally, I recalled my enthusiastic middle school teacher whose coaching helped and inspired me to win local MATHCOUNTS competitions, qualify for the state team and advance with my teammates to place second nationally. Seeing the value of a committed, motivated, enthusiastic teacher who puts more faith in you than you put in yourself, I promised myself that, despite my frustration, I would not give up on my student.

As I move on to college and beyond, I intend to excel, but more importantly, I want my endeavors to have a positive influence on others. As I work toward this end, I am thankful for my talents and my successes; however, I recognize that some of the greatest gifts I can offer are the perseverance, humility, compassion or strength arising from apparent defeat. Drawing on my natural abilities and life’s lessons, I can continue to help others as I helped June, whose blank looks turned to expressions of understanding, whose signs of frustration became promising smiles and who, though I still have much to teach her, finally believes she can succeed.