2017 Scholarship Recipients

Leala Hailey

Communication: “a process by which information is exchanged between individuals through a common system of symbols, signs, or behavior” (Merriam-Webster.com). Consider the effort it takes to look upon a situation, gather all perspectives, and establish a whole understanding to seek the best solution. A strong leader is never blinded by the one-sided nature of a single perspective and always seeks out every angle before making a conclusive decision and communicating to his comrades. He fixes well-rounded evidence and applies it to the situation at hand, calculating each outcome in search of the most productive and beneficial. As a result, his team wins and his projects get approved.

Most of my life’s work is the direct result of applying the compassionate ability to utilize communication with others to make great work happen. While living in Georgia, I joined the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp. My self-motivation and cooperation immediately got me recognition and I climbed the ranks swiftly. By my sophomore year, I had landed a staff position under the battalion commander as the Public Affairs Officer (S-5). As the S-5, I was responsible for ensuring that communication between the battalion, the school, and any outside resource was maintained, recorded, and reported back to my commanding officer. In order to certify that any relayed information was accurate and concrete, it was important for me to be aware of all aspects of a project.

 My greatest personal accomplishment during my time as S-5 was creating a website for the battalion.  While making the website, I needed to follow a prerequisite and also consider any information that might be helpful for the viewers. I made three website models that got rejected before my final model was accepted by the Major. At the end of the day, through my hard work and consideration of what people will need and want to see, communication was extended to parents, other schools, and even the county.

Over my next four years at DePauw University, I will focus on helping people communicate. The HESUS Fund scholarship will help me in my journey through college to use these same skills that boosted the quality of outreach for my battalion, to open communication for those who can’t do it for themselves. By not being burdened by the expenses of books, I can focus on what really matters.

Shamar Walker

My family came here from Jamaica, and I was the first in my family born in the US.  As long as I can remember, I've felt that I had an obligation to provide stability for my family and the communities that I hold dear to me. Some of those duties are to be the first in my family to go to college and have a meaningful career. There have been many times where I could have slacked off, but I knew I had to fulfill my purpose of helping others. 

Towards the end of 11th grade, I was nominated by SEO to travel to Nicaragua through the Global Glimpse program.  In Nicaragua, I led my group during the construction of school furniture, and served the local community through teaching English for 20 hours over a two week period. Once that program ended, my school’s soccer season began and I assumed captain of the defensive line. During the first day of the season, I sustained an extremely serious knee injury. Once I returned to school, I was excused from participating in gym and was given a free period. I put myself to use by volunteering at my school’s college and career office. There, I taught seniors how to access college portals in order to track the admissions process. From my experiences in SEO, soccer, school, and Global Glimpse, I’ve demonstrated the potential to positively affect my campus community. My strong willingness to help others is how I show leadership. I find that my success and accomplishments aren’t entirely worthy of acknowledgement without bringing the rest of my team with me.

At Middlebury, I plan on narrowing my interests which consist of the following: Criminal Justice/Pre-Law, Education, Women’s Studies, Sociology and Economics. From one of these majors, I intend to direct my knowledge and passion into a career in law. Besides academics, I plan on joining programs as I did in high school, so I can become fully immersed into the campus life. One of my ambitions in college is to be a member of the community judicial board. Through this commitment, not only will I gain experience and skills before I enter my future career, but I’ll also be able to serve my community.

In the foreseeable future there is a high likelihood of my father being incarcerated. During his absence, all of the bills will become my mother’s responsibility. The HESUS Fund scholarship would aid me in not becoming an additional financial burden to my mother as she works through managing costs that she has not covered before. This scholarship would lessen the load of college expenses by bestowing financial security upon my family and I.

Syed Rahman

Alexander Hamilton from the Broadway musical Hamilton once famously said, “I will not throw away my shot!”  This quote encompasses what my definition of a leader has always been: a person that does not waste any opportunities, as well as making sure others do not throw away theirs. I moved to Bangladesh with my parents in 2009, but due to the constant and often fatal violence occurring in the country, paired with a mugging at knifepoint that I was the victim of, I decided for myself in late 2014 that I had to return to New York City where I had lived up until 2009.

When I arrived back in New York, I lived with my grandparents, but due to their age, they could not assist me with school or find opportunities that were available to me. However, in the first few days of school, I was lucky enough to meet a senior named Charu, someone whom I would call a leader and a mentor for all the help she provided me when I first started out at my school. She made me aware of the opportunites at school, specifically the Web Design program and convinced the teacher to let me in even though I was six months behind schedule. In addition, Charu also helped me apply to a summer tech program called “New York City Generation Tech” as she knew I was interested in coding. This summer program helped New York City students learn how to code and build a mobile application in teams that would help other students with their daily lives. This program also allowed me to branch out of my comfort zone and network with people from top tech companies, such as Google and Deloitte, as well as meet leaders in the industry, such as Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft.

The school’s computer academy and the summer program helped mold my interests and personality into the person I am today. But, mainly it helped me realize that I also had to be a leader in my school just like Charu, so that other younger and older students alike were aware of the help and opportunities that were available to them. To that end I served as the school’s Vice President and guided underclassmen in choosing what classes to take, which tech academies to join, in addition to helping them find and apply to programs, ranging from SAT courses to web design enrichment programs.

While attending Vanderbilt University as a Computer Science major, I aspire to be an individual one can look up to and ask for help when needed, whether as a Teaching Assistant for freshmen classes or as a Resident Advisor for dorms. The HESUS Fund scholarship would allow me a peace of mind while at Vanderbilt University to focus on my education and extracurricular commitments without the worry of burdening my family for money, as well as the ability to see them on holidays.