HESUS Fund

Toni Morrison once said, “Make a difference in something other than yourselves”. This quote has become the mantra on the way I want to live my life. With the idea of making a difference in the world, I believe that I can do so through the use of art. Art has had the ability to move the masses. It can be used to strike a feeling of nostalgia and even persuade and appeal. With this being said, art can be used in every aspect of life, and I want to be a part of this growing culture to promote the beauty and culture of it all.

During high school, I was known for giving back through the arts. I attended North Star Academy, a school that focuses on STEM education. Although North Star granted me a fantastic education, I made it my duty to emphasize the arts as much as I could. I served my school's community as a founding member of the school's literary magazine, Broad and Central, for my first two years, and then stepped up as Editor-in-Chief for my remaining two. My school depended on me for designing apparel logos for clubs and events. I also worked behind the scenes for school musicals as a set designer and member of the International Thespian Society. My time at North Star taught me to seek out my passions rather than to wait for someone to bring them to me. In doing so, North Star prepared me academically and sculpted me into a leader for the next step in my life at a top tier liberal arts school: DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.

At DePauw, I plan on majoring in Studio Art as well as Film Studies. Although I am excited for my arrival to campus, I cannot help but think about how I will handle my finances. For the past few years, my parents have worked a total of three jobs to be able to support me. After my first year of college, I will be no longer supported by them and will be paying for school by myself. Although I want to take ownership for my own education, I do not want to accumulate a lifetime of debt. If awarded the HESUS scholarship, the funds would help me pay for books, plane tickets to and from school, and other expenses that come with the great opportunities of college. It would be an honor and a blessing to be chosen by the HESUS Fund because it would allow me to meet and connect to students and people like me. Without a doubt, I know that making all ends meet will be hard, but with this scholarship, the challenging road ahead can become a little clearer. Even though I have four years ahead of me, I am ready to dive right into life so I can build an even stronger foundation to make a difference, just like Toni Morrison so eloquently put it.

Early on in my life, elementary school to be exact, I was always told to be a leader, not a follower. Even though it was an everyday routine before I was dropped off at school, I knew that it meant something. I took those few words with me throughout each year of school, and put them in action. I led by being an exemplary student, both in and out of the classroom. In school, I participated in various plays and sports teams because I thought that that was how I’d become a leader. It took more than that for me to actually understand my leadership.

Fast forward to high school. I was thrown into a sea of 4,000 kids who were all different from me. It was then that I quickly learned that I had to be a leader in order for me to stay on the right track. The summer after my freshman year, I participated in an internship called the Sadie Nash Leadership Project. There I learned about social injustices, women’s empowerment, different forms of oppression, and leadership. I was able to shape my leadership into what it is today by learning that there are different leadership styles. I am now able to appreciate a quiet leader, one that is vocal, or one that leads by helping others. My leadership can take on all three forms.

In high school, I joined eleven extra-curricular activities, worked part time, completed 100+ hours of community service/volunteer work, and participated in summer internships. My extra-curricular activities consisted of sports teams and theater performances that would occupy me for several months at a time. In these activities, as well as in everything else I do, teamwork is one of the most important aspects. Learning the importance of teamwork helped me to appreciate different voices all the more and has influenced my career choice.

In the fall, I will be attending DePauw University. There, I will be studying communications and learning how to further my leadership capabilities. With my communications degree, I want to work in a prestigious Public Relations firm, where I will be handling entertainment and media correspondences. The media is one of the biggest influences today and I hope to better our future by having a hand in the messages that the next generation will receive. With my high hopes and dreams comes the reality of what will face me when I get to DePauw. To have the best education and to achieve my goals for the future, I need to have books. If awarded the HESUS Fund scholarship, I will be able to buy the books I need to flourish in my field because the art of communication is not easy. What makes matters worse is that due to this age of technology, books are not appreciated as much as they should be. Having the opportunity to afford them at school will make my future that much brighter.