2014 Scholarship Recipients

Watching the new recruits get ready for tryouts reminded me of how far I have come.  I was once the shy freshman that only wanted to show everyone what I could do.  Being the only freshman on the varsity basketball team was one of my most nerve wrecking experiences.  One thing that I will never forget was how united the team was on and off the court thanks to the leadership of the senior captain.  Her optimism and spirit was what inspired me the most.   I revered the captain and how she carried the team through championships and defeats.  She reminded us that we can always get better. 

Later on in my freshman year of high school, I volunteered at my middle school and acted as an assistant coach for the girls’ basketball team.  I think of those girls as my little sisters. Twice a week I would go to practice and help the girls go through drills and plays.  I used those words of encouragement that my captain told us, and conveyed them to my middle school team.  Like any other sport, basketball requires a lot of discipline and perseverance.  You can never accomplish a goal overnight, and I expressed to my girls that they can use the same energy that they put on the court towards their studies. 

My responsibilities on the team amplified sophomore year when I became captain.  Instead of being the only freshman looking up to seniors for advice and guidance, I assumed the leadership role.  I proudly took on this position by motivating my team mates on the court and in the classroom.  One of the values that I continue to instill on the team and outside of basketball is self-appreciation.  In order for the team to work and execute to its best ability, every team member has to be confident and know that they are unique and instrumental to the team and all of its undertakings.

Through intellectual humility, I know that there will be room for growth but it is always important to know your strengths and improve on your weaknesses.  I value this leadership trait especially because it is essential for me to continue this quality throughout my college experience and future career endeavors.  My persistence as a student and gregarious nature as a volunteer has led me to the decision that I want to pursue a career where I am helping people by putting my math and/or science skills to use.  My appetite to learn has encouraged me to look to continue my experiences in my academic life which will lead to a profession in medicine.  I realize that books in the field of medicine are costly, therefore this scholarship will be used towards acquiring those materials.  Having the honor of being awarded with the H.E.S.U.S. Scholarship will enhance my college experience, and also encourage me through whichever path in medicine that I choose to take. 

My entire life I have watched family, friends, and people in my community experience change. At times, it was positive change in the form of growth and development. Other times, the directions of the lives and habits of those people took negative turns, almost always consuming their promise. Growing up, I learned from my relationships, especially with my father, about what it means to grow, change and progress in this world. His strong work ethic, ambition, and upward mobility from poverty in Grenada have always served as a testament to the ability and potential we all have as human beings.

Positivity, growth and development have always been things my father talked to me about, but most importantly, he taught me that helping others is a fundamental part of growing. Over the years, I have grown a love for helping others and getting a chance to play a part in fostering positive development and change.

Working with Brooklyn Boatworks, a program I had been in myself during middle school, I helped teach young students how to build sailboats. They sailed the boats on the Hudson River after they finished constructing them near the end of the school year.  The growth that was true for me and many of the students in the program was that it gave a space to work where students could focus, create and collaborate. I was building this boat with students who were classmates and friends, so while we were all having fun and enjoying our time together, we were learning to communicate with each other and develop ideas and use those ideas to move forward and come to an end product. Another reason I came back to work with the program is that it creates a sense of possibility. We were helping the kids understand that something that wasn’t necessarily easy or small was do-able. Seeing the final project, the boat that we all created, launched in the Hudson River, means a lot. When the kids see that this is something they can do, they have the confidence to do a lot more like it, or even better. That type of thinking leads to progress, and it made me proud to be there and be a part of that growth.

Very soon I will head to Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. My goals for college, primarily, are to challenge myself academically and reach new heights in my education and social life, but more importantly, to continue making ways to reach out to communities all over. I plan on creating a coalition between the humanitarian and non- governmental organization groups on campus so that we can, as a united power, offer service and stand for people that need help. My ability to register for classes and pay for books and transportation is never a sure thing and is always at risk, but the HESUS Scholarship Fund will help to assure my college education.