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JustJobs Scholarship Scholarship

Jillian Dull – JustJobs Scholarship Finalist for April 2012

JustJobs.com’s scholarship program is proud to announce Jillian Dull as one of the three finalists for its April deadline application. Vote for her essay by clicking the thumbs up button at the bottom of the page, and/or leave comments of support to help us with the selection process.

Jillian Dull’s Essay:

How did you choose your major? What obstacles have you had to overcome and what will it mean to you to graduate with this degree?

I began my journey into the field of Public Relations because I love the strategy involved in the public perception of companies. I found myself intrigued by the messages being sent out to the public in times of crisis. It fascinated me that the wording and timing of those messages could so easily effect the way I viewed the crisis and the company altogether. I found myself wanting to know how this was possible and when I realized that creating these messages was someone’s job I was hooked. From my first PR course I knew I was in the right place. Every class is an opportunity for me to learn new techniques and to refine the ones I am trying to master, and I am always thrilled to go to class. I am constantly amazed by all that this field has to offer and truly enjoy taking on the challenge of learning all of the ins and outs.

Pursuing my love of PR took me across the country from my small hometown of Mechanicsville, Virginia to the hills of Malibu, California. It has been an incredible experience living here and the California culture is so different from the small-town Southern culture I grew up in. Despite all of the wonderful things that Malibu has to offer, going to school thousands of miles from home has been quite an obstacle. With gas prices constantly going up, plane tickets are extremely expensive and my family cannot afford to fly me home for holidays like Thanksgiving. I have missed many important events because of the distance, and was prevented from attending my grandfather’s funeral when he passed away my freshman year because I could not afford to fly home.

Learning to go through large life decisions and difficult events without the support of my family has been a serious challenge. However, I have adapted and have become incredibly independent over the past few years because of all that I have been through. I have learned to be self-reliant and to truly strike out on my own and I feel that I am much better off because of it. I now know that I can confidently move to a new city or country to pursue a job opportunity with little worry of being on my own, an advantage I feel very grateful for.

Graduating with a degree in PR is going to be such an accomplishment for me. I will know at that time that I am finally prepared with the skills I need to take on the job that has fascinated me for so long. I will be confident moving my skills into a business setting and excited to adapt and learn as I get more experience. This degree would be everything I have dreamed of for so long. It will be the symbol that I made it, and that I am equipped with the knowledge and independence to take on the PR field and know I can succeed.

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JustJobs Scholarship Scholarship

JustJobs cartoon contest – free job cartoons for your blog or website

[W]e love cartoons and want your help creating them — so we Ask you to join the fun and help us spread the gift of laughter! We sent the winners $50 Amazon certificates and published a short profile like this for each to say thanks. Enjoy the results – you’ll find some great cartoons here that you can use on your blog or website with just an attribution link!

And the winner is…
roman job seeker Go to contest #1. Go to contest #11.
Go to contest #2. Go to contest #12.
Go to contest #3. Go to contest #13.
coffee break cartoon Go to contest #4. Go to contest #14.
  Go to contest #5. Go to contest #15.
Go to contest #6. Go to contest #16.
Go to contest #7 Go to contest #17.

Go to contest #8.

Go to contest #18.

Go to contest #9. Go to contest #19.
Go to contest #10. Go to contest #20.
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JustJobs Scholarship Scholarship

JustJobs December 2011 Scholarship Recipient Announced: Jason Cade

JustJobs would like to congratulate all of the wonderful applicants who wrote compelling scholarship essays in this first December round of submissions.  The three finalists, Jason Cade, Rebecca Leff, and Ismeo Carl Jean-Louis were selected from hundreds of other applicants for their passion and drive for education.

Jason Cade has been selected as the final recipient of the $2,000 scholarship award (December deadline).  His essay was moving and beautifully written, and we are proud to present him with the first ever JustJobs Scholarship award.

To apply for the next round of scholarship applications, visit the scholarship page to apply and check if your school has registered for the program.

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JustJobs Scholarship Scholarship

JustJobs Scholarship Finalists – December 2011

JustJobs.com’s scholarship program is proud to announce the three finalists for the first round of applications. They are:

The final selection process will involve three different factors – outside voting (look for the thumbs icon at the bottom of the essays), comments left by visitors, and the scholarship committee’s final review.

Please help us with our selection by voting for your favorite essay and/or leaving a comment to help your favorite applicant!

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JustJobs Scholarship Scholarship

Jason Cade – JustJobs Scholarship Finalist for December 2011

JustJobs.com’s scholarship program is proud to announce Jason Cade as one of the three finalists for its December deadline application. Vote for his essay by clicking the thumbs up button at the bottom of the page, and/or leave comments of support to help us with the selection process.

Jason Cade’s Essay:

How did you choose your major? What obstacles have you had to overcome and what will it mean to you to graduate with this degree?

I am a 39 year old father of two beautiful children and the husband to a kind, supportive wife. Having my children made me decide to become a better person; to become a man. Until I had them, I never saw a need to get a college education. Now, I cannot believe I went so long without having one.

I am entering my seventh semester at UTEP and El Paso Community College. My major is Pre-Speech Language Pathology. I have known since I began my collegiate studies that my major needed to be in a field where science and mathematics are key due to the projection of the landscape of jobs in the future. However, it was my son who guided the direction I would go.

My son is smart, likeable, and excels in school. His speech production, however, is a challenge. Since he first made audible sounds as an infant, his conversations often included non-sensible words. We expected that when he was a toddler, but as he grew older it became a larger concern. Now that he is in the first grade, his syntax is still a challenge even though mathematics, spelling, science, physical education, and social relationships all come easily for him. When I work slowly with him through the proper pronunciation and tense of words, he still finds it to be an enormous challenge. Upon his evaluation with his school district, it seems that his speech problem is not an issue to anyone except us. Luckily, it has not been an impediment to his knowledge and learning.

While I understand that my son’s problems are minimal compared to those of others, I realize that he is a small representation of those that I will be assisting once I am working in my field of study. People who have endured strokes and cerebral vascular accidents will need assistance to re-learn how to communicate their basic needs and desires to those that they love. Children who have suffered hearing loss will learn how to make basic sounds and utilize sign language so that they can communicate with their parents, friends, and teachers. I will be in schools and nursing homes. I will spend my time with someone who has been in a motorcycle accident or a car wreck. I will greatly impact the quality of people’s lives who have suffered tremendous loss and need assistance in their time of need.

Being a full time student with a family is difficult on us financially, as my wife is also a student. There are times when studying is easy, but it’s massaging the bills that gets difficult. We take items out of our grocery cart while we’re in the checkout line. The cost of essentials continues to increase, making my job a little more difficult each time the gas prices rise. I awake in the dark to quietly study before my children arise. I read each chapter once, often twice. I visit my instructors, and I ask many questions. I make my GPA a priority, knowing that I cannot further my education without doing so. I yearn to show my children through my example the importance of earning a bachelor’s degree, especially in a math or science field.

I understand you are awarding scholarships, and I ask for your consideration. I greatly respect your financial contribution to the betterment of education, and I believe that I would be an appreciative steward of such generosity.

Most sincere thanks,

Jason Cade

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Ismeo Carl Jean-Louis – JustJobs Scholarship Finalist for December 2011

JustJobs.com’s scholarship program is proud to announce Ismeo Carl Jean-Louis as one of the three finalists for its December deadline application. Vote for his essay by clicking the thumbs up button at the bottom of the page, and/or leave comments of support to help us with the selection process.

Ismeo Carl Jean-Louis’s Essay:

How did you choose your major? What obstacles have you had to overcome and what will it mean to you to graduate with this degree?

Since I’ve been young I’ve always been thinking about solutions to problems–small problems I can have with my friends or family, and substantial dilemmas like what things would need to change for there to be less trash on the streets of Haiti. Or why is there such a huge informal economy? Why are there so many Haitians who are unemployed? And through most of my time thinking about these issues, I’ve realized the first step and solution for change in Haiti is the change of its people so that when I see the faces of the people on the street I don’t simply see their loss of hope, but people with the faces of confidence, courage, and the belief that this is only the beginning of something greater.

This starts with the change of someone like me having the opportunity to go to college and get an education, and bring those benefits back to the country I was raised in. Choosing to study industrial
engineering isn’t simply because I love math, science, or learning how things work; I want to be able to help the production and the organization of major industries, providing them with the information
and expertise that will help them succeed where they failed before–helping industries like chocolate and sugar flourish and grow in their production processes. I want to be part of what is going on that’s wrong and turn it to be what is going on that’s right.

I believe a career as an industrial engineer will help me to face these challenges because it is my plan to return to Haiti to make a difference and change the rest of the world’s perception of Haiti. I want to help return it to its former name–the Pearl of the Antilles. More specifically, I want to position Haiti as one of the major exporters of chocolate and sugar within the international community which are currently not being used effectively. This may seem like a huge dream–and I know it’s going to be hard–but I think that with everything I learned throughout my training as an industrial engineer at Penn State, I will have the tools to take the country to a place it never thought it would be.

To achieve my goal in Haiti there are many steps that I need to take. In pursuit of my degree in industrial engineering, I first would like to learn the basic functions of systems. What makes a system? How it works and how it doesn’t? How to modify poorly run systems to make them run to their best. Then I would like to go more in depth into larger industries, and their structures. How they work, and what makes them improve or weaken. Other than learning about industrial engineering, I would like to experience it. Experience it by doing internships, co-ops, or even work studies in the field. I want to get experience in the field with in the United States and internationally to become a well-rounded, world class engineer. And finally, one of the best ways of mastering a field is being able to work with an expert of that field, having a mentor to walk me through points in industrial engineering that I won’t be able to learn in class.

Living in Haiti at times may have been scary and tough. I had to go through and experience many tough challenges that made me much stronger today. There’s always been a problem of safety and stability, and because of that there have been times when my school would give the students packets of work and quizzes to do on their own. Also the government would sometimes want schools to be closed, but because of the loss of too many days we were told to come to school in non-uniform to try and disguise ourselves as, not students. Not having electricity all the time was also a hassle sometimes in getting long work assignments done under candle light. It might have been annoying but it taught me things in life that will continue to help in my future career. It taught me that things like  procrastination wasn’t an option for me anymore. Because if it was, I wouldn’t get nearly close enough to where I am today. I’ve been through a lot and grew through a lot, and I acknowledge all that I went through because it didn’t only help me understand the culture of Haiti, but many other cultures around the world. This gave me the dream for me to help change it to be a better place.

I drew much of my inspiration from my father who also has that dream to help Haiti‘s economy, though he specializes more in job creation. In his organization they execute many projects in business incubation by helping small entrepreneurs and businesses grow to be able to employ more people, and also train the youth of Haiti and help place them in various industries. I want to have an international impact as well as a national impact by working with the informal economy and formalizing it by helping small entrepreneurs become more efficient as well, working as a consultant in both sectors.

Haiti is in great need to improve the way and life of its people. And I think one of the first steps for that to happen is to revamp the country’s economic landscape. I am tired of watching a country that I love and care about continue to hold the name of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. I am certain that getting the best education I can will be one step for me to start to be able to change that reputation and create substantial change in not only how the rest of the world see Haiti but how Haitians view their own country.

Ismeo Carl Jean Louis

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Rebecca Leff – JustJobs Scholarship Finalist for December 2011

JustJobs.com’s scholarship program is proud to announce  Rebecca Leff as one of the three finalists for its December deadline application. Vote for her essay by clicking the thumbs up button at the bottom of the page, and/or leave comments of support to help us with the selection process.

Rebecca Leff’s Essay:

How did you choose your major? What obstacles have you had to overcome and what will it mean to you to graduate with this degree?

If you asked me about poetry, I could tell you something about history’s famous poets. I could quote the popular theories on Shakespeare’s sonnets, cite my favorite T.S. Eliot passages, maybe even recite E.E. Cummings’ Somewhere I Have Never Traveled,Gladly Beyond from memory purely because I have read it so many times. But I can’t tell you why Shakespeare sat down, quill in hand, to write his 116th sonnet. I can’t tell you if hurt to put the words on the page or if set him free. And I’m never going to be able to tell you those things.

But I can you tell you what his words mean to me. I can tell you that everytime I watch Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensibility and I hear Mariane quote that sonnet as she gapes at the sight of Allenham Mannor that my world changes. I can tell you that I know what it means when love is unhinged, when it “ bends with the remover to remove,” “when it looks on tempests and is shaken.” I can tell you that in the hindsight of the 394 years since Shakespeare wrote that ”If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved,” that man has loved. And I can tell you that his words changed something because I can tell you with all certainty and all truth that his words have changed me.

Change. It’s a powerful thing. For a long time I was afraid that with all the people in this world that I would get swallowed up, that out of the billions of people on this earth, I would be nothing because I wasn’t Mozart or Spielberg, afraid that I was doomed to be Salieri looking up at Mozart, saying why, why couldn’t it be me. And maybe, maybe, if I just tried a little harder that I would never have to hear Mozart’s music with a tinge of sadness, that I would hear that music and be proud that it was mine. And sure, I still want those things. I’m no saint. But it isn’t what sets me on fire. It isn’t what let’s me burn. I will always create. I will always write. And I will always sing. Not because I want to, but because I have to. Because I don’t know how to live any other way. And I will be content with that life.

But I dream of change. I dream that someday someone will sit at their computer at 2:30 am, as I am doing right now, and instead of writing about how Shakespeare’s 116th sonnet set them ablaze that they will say that the screenplay Rebecca Leff wrote ignited an inferno that burned with such fervor that the glow could be seen for miles. You don’t have to be Nelson Mandela to throw a pebble into the water, but boulder or pebble, you still can make a wave. And it’s the pebbles that end up making the difference. I was in ninth grade and it was maybe 2:00 or 3:00 am when a pebble set this wave in motion. I had just been watching a documentary and to tell you truth I can’t even remember what the documentary was about. But at the time it moved me, and I was too unsetteled to go to sleep. So, when this film popped up on my television screen at 2:00 or 3:00 am I didn’t let the sand man take me away. I watched it. It was a film that no one has ever heard of, that I can’t even find to see again, and it was a film that changed my life. For the first time I picked up my pen and just wrote.

Writing felt like falling in love. At first it was a rush, but then it got painful and sometimes I had to walk away. And yet I gave my heart out knowing that it might come back in pieces for the chance, that one chance, that I would surface from the depths of emotion with something beatiful, a momment without worry, a momment without fear. That morning I felt something so passionate that there was no turning back. So, I give myself out to you now, knowing that I might come back in pieces for the chance, that one chance, that my dream just might come true, that where ever I end up might bring me one step closer to that dream. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I have known since 9th grade that I would be a film major. I didn’t know that I would be double majoring with legal studies and pursuing a minor in music. All I knew is that I wanted to make films ad I wanted to take classes that inspired creation. I wanted to right wrongs and tell truths. I wanted to dig my hands into the earth and come out with a flower. But film is scary. It’s not the easiest career. And sometimes I wake up in the morning breathing in long breaths, sweating because I’m afraid I can’t do this. But I have to. I couldn’t live knowing I didn’t try. If I want to live and not just exist, I have to try.