2016 Scholarship Recipients

Trishaunna John

“He who alters his thoughts, alters his life,” quoted by Napoleon Hill. Once I changed the way I thought about my success, the closer I came to making it a true reality, ultimately changing my life. Being a leader begins with taking control in leading your own life. I once thought a leader was someone who primarily dictates and sets things verbally, expecting people to follow.  But it wasn’t until I looked at my own life and realized that I couldn’t just speak things into existence; I had to lead myself into action. While realizing that, I began to change my focus. As Class President, instead of saying what needed to be done, I actually got down and showed students what should be done. I also changed my focus as Step Captain.  Instead of just leading a routine, I led the underclassmen girls in being their own leaders able to lead their own routines. In my church, I had to change the focus in leading a youth group discussion to relating that discussion to other teens’ lives and having them lead it on their own.

            Being the eldest sibling, and having to pick up jobs during my high school career, made my end goal seem more and more distant. But it was the “altered thoughts” that kept me focused, seeing how my hard work in high school allowed me to get accepted to college. At DePauw, I plan on doing the same, adding to the school culture by being an example, as well as leading through “altered thoughts” and encouraging success. I plan on being a Biology major, minoring in African American Studies, making sure that I stay on a pre-med track, and later going off to medical school. Through my minor, I can become more knowledgeable about where I came from, to truly understand where I’m going in my medical field. In having knowledge about my culture and where I’m from, I can use that to alter the thoughts of people that look like me specifically, so that they can see their end goal clearly like I do.

            This money will allow me to focus on altering my thoughts and steering my focus more throughout my first year of college. With the HESUS Fund scholarship, I can truly immerse myself in my studies, without the burden of having to pick up a job, or having it in the back of my mind that my household might fall apart if I buy a bus or plane ticket home. With the help of this scholarship, I’ll be able to pay for books with ease, or even be able to travel home without worrying if I’d have to miss another holiday. I see myself continuing my service to my DePauw community, representing the HESUS Fund in leading others to also see an altered life through “altered thought”. 

Dominick Torres

I knew I wanted to be a director after the first year of film classes in my high school: Academy for Careers in Television & Film. In the film industry, directing seemed to be the most intriguing part of it all. You have to coordinate the crews and come up with shot types, as well as guide the actors. Directing is also about how you communicate with your crew members and convince them to buy into your story. Another big aspect of directing that intrigued me was the leadership part. Aside from all the logistical things that come with directing, the best part was bringing all these different people together to work on a project and coordinate and help everyone get along. All these aspects of film felt perfect for me; they challenged my leadership skills, as well as my creativity.  At first, I directed short and simple projects/films. I had lots of success with these projects. Then there was that one huge project I was assigned; the longest one I had ever done thus far. It was extremely stressful and intense because I had to co-direct with two other people.  It was often difficult to agree on one idea because everyone wasn't always on the same page. In the end, the project didn't come out as well as I expected, but I learned valuable lessons about working with others. 

I am grateful for all my current learning environments (at my high school, at my job, and on my baseball team) and I’d love to continue pursuing my directing career in college. Despite having received a tuition scholarship to Wheaton College through the Posse Foundation, my financial aid package will not cover all of the room and board, so there is still a significant amount of money that I owe Wheaton. I already have a summer job lined up, and plan to join the campus work-study program in the fall.  My family is not in a position to contribute financially because my mother just gave birth and my younger sister is currently applying to college. The HESUS Fund Scholarship would be a tremendous help in my commitment to taking on all of the financial responsibility as I pursue my education. 

Brian Dulanto

The embodiment of empathy is a huge concern of mine. Without being in another person’s immediate shoes, who are we to make judgments about their lifestyles. Throughout my life, I have had judgments made about me because of the environment that surrounds me rather than the quality of me, the individual in the environment. As a result, I hold myself accountable when meeting new people and making assumptions about their stories.

Amongst my neighborhood friends, I was the youngest and the most willing to take risks. This led me to a lot of trouble, of course, but it also made me stand out. The amount of opportunities offered to me, simply because I decided to network, has been abundant both inside a business environment and at a social gathering.

As a young child at the age of eight years old, I began my journey at Fiver Children’s Foundation, which brought NYC kids to an upstate camp for two weeks, full of activities. Here, I met a diverse body of counselors and campers that came from many different parts of the world. Although we had vastly different stories, I managed to relate to them and build long lasting friendships. Partly due to being exposed at such a young age to different environments, I’ve learned to adapt.

Adaptability became an essential skill when coming to the city from Peru at an early age. This attitude remains true today, where I am willing to try new things and remain open-minded. Fortunately, I learned at a young age that things wouldn’t simply fall into place, I’d have to put them there.

When I first began high school and my corporate internship, I quickly realized that I needed to distinguish myself if I wanted to network. It was in doing so that I met kind co-workers at American Express, who would end up helping me through the college application process. If I hadn’t networked, my struggles would have been dealt with in solace rather than in a community. As one of the youngest interns there at 15 years old, naturally I was intimidated but I channeled those feelings into motivation and drive. I followed the same mindset when trying out for my school play and managed to land a role two years in a row. Had I been too shy to audition, I would have never experienced the beauty of intertwining language and actions.

At Middlebury College, I plan to do the same and launch myself into a positive and productive environment. With the HESUS Fund Scholarship, the financial burden won’t be as much of a trouble so that I may smoothly benefit from all that Middlebury has to offer. The scholarship would help my family and I pay for living expenses, so that other costs, like books and travel, aren’t such burdens.