Category: Scholarship

DiversityJobs.com’s scholarship program for diversity and minority students is proud to announce Michelle Disher 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.

Michelle Disher’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 selected my major before I began my undergraduate study at the University of Denver. A young and adventurous high school student, I wanted opportunities for travel. I had dreams of becoming a diplomat, or working as a photographer for national geographic. My scope as far as careers went was wide, so long as I would have the chance to see the world.In my sophomore year of high school, I went on a two-week trip with my school to Italy and Greece. Yes, I did the  typical tourist thing, going to museums and spending three days on a cruise where everyone spoke English. Yet these two weeks may have been some of the most important, because they fostered a desire to understand the world beyond my own. In a significant way, the trip made me realize how small my world was and how  much of the real world there was to see.

The international experience and the idea of becoming a “citizen of the world” was also the impetus for choosing the University of Denver for my undergraduate study. Their Korbel School of International Study was renowned, and offered study abroad programs at the same cost as tuition. What I did not expect to gain from an International Studies degree was the desire to become a doctor. The thought had never entered my mind, in fact I had sworn off math  and science once I graduated from high school. I didn’t think it would be rewarding for me. A course I took called “Infectious Diseases in International Politics” changed everything. 

College was opening my eyes to the interconnectedness of almost any field with international affairs. Economics, politics, health, gender- you name it. What appealed to me the more I learned was the ability to help people. Not just to work for a non-profit and hand out food, but really to give the needy something they could never get themselves. Much help offered by richer nations involves politics, usually to the tune of the Western world saying that they know the path to development that everyone my follow. Science and medicine is beautiful, because it is really  knowledge without social and political bias. It can be given to those who need and want it, for the goal of saving lives, not rebuilding societies or cultures.

Disease is a universal burden that prevents any person from bettering their own situation, and 3rd world countries cannot afford to make or keep good doctors like here in the U.S.  I decided I wanted to give people good health, and more than that, to teach people how to do basic medical care for their own neighbors in the third world. What has changed between  my freshman year and now is that I don’t want to be the hero anymore, but a resource to help people be their own heroes. 

I am combining an International Studies major with a science minor to have a career in medicine informed by social, political, and economic factors that are tying nations together. My  ultimate dream would be to open a clinic, likely in South America, that offers health care but also offers training and jobs for providing basic care to others. I can now speak 4 languages: English, Spanish, French, and Italian, and I hope to begin taking Arabic when my courses allow me the time. I am working tirelessly to get into medical school, and have volunteered in mentally disabled clinics in Italy, learned emergency medical training in Italian, and am hoping to expand my volunteer experience in medicine more than anything. Even if i don’t get in, I plan to keep studying, keep trying and applying. I don’t necessarily need a medical degree to follow my dream, and if I have to I will achieve without it, but I greatly desire to go out into the world with as many tools for my success and that of others when I graduate. 

DiversityJobs.com’s scholarship program for diversity and minority students is proud to announce Carol Collum  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.

Carol Collum’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?

In 2011, I entered the doctoral program in educational leadership with the goal of expanding my professional journey to include a path in higher education.  The pursuit of an Ed.D. provides me the opportunity to become well-grounded and well-versed in research and theory in the foundations of education; all with the hope of one day imparting the knowledge and expertise that I have gleaned into the next generation of rising scholars. 

I began a career in the field of education in 2003.  Since that time, I have provided supportive social work services to at-risk youth on the elementary and middle school levels in traditional and alternative educational settings in Chicago, Maywood, Bellwood, and Des Plaines, Illinois. I have facilitated a variety of community initiatives to bridge schools with social service agencies to at-risk youth and their families.  I have been instrumental in developing and devising research-based intervention and modification strategies to assist at-risk youth in becoming academically and behaviorally successful in school.  Furthermore, I have gleaned invaluable expertise from colleagues, mentors, and faculty which has nurtured and enhanced my knowledge base, skills sets, and support systems.  

In 2009 while working as a school social worker, I was affected by a reduction in workforce.  Three years later, I still had not been successful in regaining employment in an educational institution.  It is because of this experience that I decided to return to graduate school to further my education and expand my knowledge base to make myself more marketable in the shrinking job market.  I desired to be set apart and further established as an exceptional educational leader of the 21^st century. 

My educational philosophy has evolved over the years to incorporate the need to advocate for adequate supportive services within educational institutions.  Based on my years of service as a school social worker, I also believe educators should provide service to at-risk youth whereby we adhere to ethical standards.  It is our duty to focus on the needs of the student and to assist them in removing the barriers and overcoming the obstacles that are prohibiting students from being successful in school.  

Furthermore, I believe educators possess the professional expertise to turn any challenging situation for at-risk youth into a promising situation.  This can be accomplished if we keep our focus on the needs of the student being serviced and not on the problematic behaviors they exhibit.  At-risk youth are dealing with more pressure now than ever before and we have an obligation to assist them in adjusting.  I believe a holistic approach with a full continuum of wrap around services entail the critical elements necessary for at-risk youth to evolve into productive citizens.  

I hope to be awarded the scholarship to fulfill all of the requirements for the Ed.D. Program without any interruptions or additional distractions associated with financial burdens.  The scholarship will allow me to remain focused on imparting the knowledge and expertise that I have gleaned into the next generation of rising scholars.  I also look forward to becoming a resource to the initiative.  Specifically, I will share how I actively negotiate with viable service providers to determine ways to better serve at-risk youth.  In doing so, I will bring a voice of diversity to educational institutions that reflects African-American insight and culture, and a voice of advocacy for at-risk youth that commits to upholding their best interest.

DiversityJobs.com’s scholarship program for diversity and minority students is proud to announce Kadir Jara as one of the three finalists for its April 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.

Kadir Jara’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?

When I was five years old, with the glistening morning sunrise and the cacophony of the roosters, we left. We fled Ethiopia when I was a toddler resting on the fragile, wilting frame of my mother. We left our homeland with the sunrise in front of us trailed by a silhouette of our struggle.  The conditions were so hopeless and desperate that my family did not expect I would live through the famine. I was malnourished and slowly dying.

My family received word that my father was sent to prison because of the work he did for the government, and a couple of weeks later he was killed.  The death of my father caused my older brothers to join the war. I have not seen my older brothers since. The rest of my family fled for a better life to Nairobi, Kenya as refugees.While in Kenya, I saw some of the most terrifying tortures that were done to people. I saw people being burned alive right in front of my very eyes. At a young age, I realized that my life was going to be changed forever in many different ways.

My life was nothing more than a desert of dirt that was slowly eroding with the howling of the wind. It was not the hunger that caused suffering, it was the thirst. I licked my lips to keep my mouth moist enough to hydrate my mind, and even so, my mind could only grasp suffering. My mind couldn’t comprehend the time; I saw my entire family gradually and unwillingly fading away. I did not know there was any other life besides a life of suffering.  The sorrow was harrowing. With the cold dawn-dated breeze that froze my memories and tattooed my mind, I look back. Images of my native land now flood my memories: the sleepy village, the echoing in the distant background of sporadic gunshots that then sounded so natural.  Our decision to leave had to be immediate yet furtive, so my other siblings would not know we were abandoning them.   Rather than making me callous to a life of suffering, I have come to appreciate little things like the sight of a smile or the refreshment of water. Being appreciative of what I have is my hope.

Even though I have survived, I remind myself that I still have family members dying from the plight I have escaped.  I lived many years in Kenya before immigrating to America. When I was 15 years old, I moved to Denver, Colorado and I began attending Hinkley High School as a sophomore, without knowing one word of English. After three years, I received my high school diploma and continued attending Community College of Denver; because of financial reasons, I could not afford to attend a big school. Now I am about to receive my Associate Degree and my dream is to continue my education by transferring to University of Colorado at Denver to get my bachelor degree in Business Administration. 

I chose a degree in business because I love to organize, plan, and manage, and I have the ability to maximize my resources to reach a profitable goal.  I speak four different languages – Oromo, Amharic, Kiswahili, English, and also have a basic understanding of Somalia and Spanish, which would be useful in today’s global economy.  I can own my own business and use my leadership skills toward my future. The Business Administration degree provides a broad base education in business that is intended to extend one’s career options. 

I hope I have an opportunity to receive Diversityjobs scholarship to support me with my financial needs. I have been in America for six years. I work part-time and go to school Full-time, and my family receives government support with the rent. English is my fourth language, and I am sure that my background would enrich the diversity of your scholarship. The biggest challenge right now is my financial needs. Having gone through many obstacles in my life, one of the biggest ones was coming to America because this meant that everything was going to change; the culture, the people, the language, and nothing was to ever be the same again. Leaving my friends and loved ones behind was one of the most grueling parts. Yet as scary as it was, I was ecstatic and ready for America, the land of opportunity, where dreams are no longer dreamt, but lived. Since I have been getting government support for my basic needs, it is even difficult to think what I will have to do to pay for college. My mom, a single mom, started to work again just a few months ago to try and get more support for us. But even that is sometimes not enough.

As you might have noticed, I am still struggling a little bit with my grammar in English, but still that is not stopping me from trying to reach my dreams. It is a big challenge, but not bigger than my determination.

DiversityJobs would like to congratulate all of the wonderful applicants who wrote compelling scholarship essays in this first December round of submissions.  The three finalists, Victoria Shih, Manting Mandy Wong, and Jashen Edwards were selected from hundreds of other applicants for their passion and drive for education.

Victoria Shih has been selected as the final recipient of the $2,000 scholarship award (December deadline).  Her essay was moving and beautifully written, and we are proud to present her with the first ever DiversityJobs 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.