We are proud to announce the eight finalists for the 2018 DiversityJobs Scholarship award; they include engineering, psychology, special education, journalism and political science, English education, exercise and sport science, and law students. From hundreds of exceptional applications, we feel that these candidates showed the best combination of passion, integrity, and dedication to their chosen fields of study.
Now we need your help in choosing the one scholarship award winner! The final selection process will involve three different factors:
- outside voting (Facebook and other social media options on the left side of the essays)
- comments left by visitors
- the DiversityJobs Scholarship committee’s scoring of the student’s application and essay
The one winner will be announced on Friday, June 15th. Please help us with our selection by voting for your favorite essay (Facebook other social media sharing options on the left side of the essays) and by leaving comments.
Kimberly Sabol, Industrial Engineering
When I was in high school, many people told me that I should study engineering since I was “good at math and science”. I was all over the place, but I did not want to study engineering. While I progressed through high school, I realized I needed to seriously consider my future. I have several relatives who became engineers, but my cousin Sarah was the one who stuck in my head. She was an industrial engineer working as a consultant.
When I was in high school, many people told me that I should study engineering since I was “good at math and science”. I was all over the place, but I did not want to study engineering. While I progressed through high school, I realized I needed to seriously consider my future. I have several relatives who became engineers, but my cousin Sarah was the one who stuck in my head. She was an industrial engineer working as a consultant.Daniel Campollo, Psychology
One of the biggest moments in life is when the first word is spoken. Achievement of this milestone was particularly significant for my brother, David, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome and did not say “Mom” until he was seven years old. With the help of frequent and intense speech and language interventions, my brother’s ability to verbally communicate transformed from mere grunts to full words and eventually entire phrases.Kyndal Murphy, Law
As a little girl, I saw my world shatter when my parents divorced. Soon after, the news became worse: I wasn’t able to give my opinion regarding who I should live with, when I could see each parent, or who would have control over me. Even though my father was an angry and bitter man who despised having to see me and did not love me, I was never able to tell this to a judge.Victoria Reyes, Special Education
In a matter of speaking, my major chose me. A master’s in special education was something that originally had never even crossed my mind. In 2014, I graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s in media arts. A year later, I was offered a job as a summer camp counselor at a nonprofit called Arts for All. It was an arts center that offered various programs for adults with disabilities and kids with mixed abilities.Shelby Manor, Exercise and Sport Science
Growing up on a farm in rural Wisconsin, I always thought I wanted to work with horses as an adult. Caring for my horses’ nutrition, creating training and exercise programs for the performance horses, and rehabilitating any injured horses were my favorite activities. This dream lasted until the beginning of my sophomore year when I noticed a few things off with my personal health.Alexander Lee, English Education
My work as a graduate student at Teachers College is inspired by my own educational journey. As a queer Taiwanese American man who grew up in a low-income, single-mother family, teachers were a valuable source of compassion, encouragement, and guidance. I want to provide the same mentorship to other young people. I began to seek out opportunities to teach and mentor underprivileged youth by volunteering in Taiwan as an English teacher in the summer of 2011.Madi Baughman, Journalism and Political Science
Even from a young age, I always knew I wanted to pursue higher education. While my father never truly completed his college education, my mother got her Bachelor’s degree, and both of them had, and still have, high expectations for me. Not going to college was never an option for me not only because of my unusually high intelligence as a child but also—mainly—because of my independence and passion to do something that mattered.Qadir Quddus, Civil Engineering
If you asked the majority of teens in today’s world, “What major do you aspire to pursue in college?”, they would not have a definitive answer. But if you asked me the same question when I was eleven years old, I would, without hesitation, answer mechanical or civil engineering. Growing up, I always knew I was going to be an engineer because I always had a passion for cars and buildings. Nothing sparked my curiosity more than those two things.