Why I Should Get Tzu Chi USA Scholarship

An autobiography (2 to 5 pages) which explains why you should be awarded a scholarship. Please include all of the following:

1. Reason for your financial need and how you intend to use this educational scholarship
2. Your personal and academic achievements with specific examples
3. Your academic and career plans with specific goals
4. Your past and current involvement, as well as future plans, towards making a difference in your community

I would benefit greatly from the Tzu Chi USA scholarship. I have always aspired to attend college and will be the first in my family to attend a university. So, I am extremely proud and grateful to have this opportunity afforded to me. I know that NYU is very popular among students studying abroad, so I considered it first. However, as I come from a single-parent household with my mother as my sole financial support, my choice of colleges is limited. My mother has worked hard to provide me with a rigorous education at a distinguished school and many extra-curricular opportunities, and receiving the Tzu Chi USA scholarship would allow me to continue my education at an institution that I feel will challenge me and expand my experiences beyond my island community.

If this scholarship is awarded to me, I intend to use it to develop who I am personally and professionally. In attending college, I will make connections with people from various backgrounds. In developing these relationships, I will become more cognizant of how to effectively collaborate with others, as well as expand my networks. Through my college classes and in working with alongside others, I will gain new perspectives, apply my critical thinking skills to new situations, and develop a greater awareness of issues in our world, so that I can further contribute to my community. Additionally, I intend to use this scholarship to earn a degree in biology, which will open more possibilities for career choices in the medical field.

As I look toward my future, I realize that my personal and academic achievements speak to who I am and will help me to succeed in college. Throughout my high school career, I have been able to effectively balance the demands of my school workload, my many extra-curricular activities (both in and out of school), and work. During my senior year, I have taken six classes each semester, including Advanced Placement Biology and Advanced Placement Environmental Science. Currently, I also work on campus in several capacities. I am a teacher’s aide in biology and an after-school care aide for the elementary students, as well as work in the library archives. Additionally, I have participated in school activities such as Holokū (Punahou’s cultural celebration), street dance, and band. Outside of school, I attend piano, Hula, Tahitian, and Soroban classes. I am also actively involved in Girl Scouts and volunteer at Queen’s Medical Center.

My sense of community service is a defining aspect of who I am. In middle school, I led various community services activities such as Teens for Jeans and the Sanctuary Ocean Count. My “Teens for Jeans” project was in partnership with Aeropostale. It included a jean drive in my school and community that would be donated to youth in need in the community. The drive collected 130 pairs of jeans to donate to Aeropostale. For the Sanctuary Ocean Count, I organized a group of people to participate in counting humpback whales with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to keep track of this endangered species in Hawai’i’s ocean waters. Currently, I volunteer at the Queen’s Medical Center. As a volunteer, I do floral deliveries, discharge patients and make informational packets for various units of the hospital. Being a volunteer at Queen’s Medical Center has allowed me to expand my social skills and gain experience working in a hospital environment. I have also learned more about the different medical fields.

Additionally, one of my most notable personal achievements is my involvement in Girl Scouts. I have been a Girl Scout since the age of 5 and am closely connected to my troop and the growth of its members. As a scout in the senior troop, I am in a position to lead and give back. In 9th grade, I was an assistant patrol leader and subsequently a patrol leader in 10th grade. Currently, I have resumed my role as an assistant patrol leader to mentor the younger girls in my senior troop. I guide them through their various responsibilities like organizing meetings, communicating with others, and coordinating troop and community activities. In addition, I have organized many annual Girl Scout activities, like the Turkey Trot and Girl Scout Camp, to develop the relationships within my troop. As a troop leader, I have learned the importance of nurturing the skills of and relationships with my younger troops.

My participation in Girl Scouts has also fostered my leadership in and contributions to my community through the troop and independent community service projects. Ongoing service projects include volunteering at the annual Honpa Hongwanji Bon Dance and temple cleaning. I have also worked to extend my troop’s community presence by organizing a community service project with Family Promise to assist homeless families in their transition to affordable housing. Additionally, I initiated community service through my three Girl Scout Projects. For my Bronze Project, I raised money and donated supplies to the Hawaii Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) to further the shelter’s work with displaced animals. My Silver Project was in partnership with the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center to encourage community building through the planning and implementation of a “Winter Wonderland” day of activities for children and their families. The focus of my most recent project, the Gold Project, was to educate the public and Hawai’i’s youth in the conservation of Native Hawaiian plants and the sustainability of the island community. For this project, I worked with Ho’omaluhia Botanical Garden to develop a visitor education brochure and a Grade 4 curriculum about Hawai’i’s indigenous plants and their importance. I was passionate about the latter project because I understand the significance of conservation, as it is needed for our island’s sustainability. I also realize the need to contribute to our land’s health and perpetuation of our heritage, but education is necessary to foster responsibility for the world.

Academically, the achievement I am most proud of is studying abroad in France during my entire junior year. Through the School Year Abroad program, I studied in Rennes, France at the École Américaine de Rennes with other students from across the United States. Their backgrounds, experiences, and values were varied, which made for more interesting conversations and relationships. In addition, I lived with a host family, and thus was able to fully immerse myself in the culture and language, while also learning about France and Europe through the eyes of a citizen, instead of a tourist. From this experience, I gained a more global perspective as to how people understand and respond to situations.

I have applied to a total of 13 colleges, but hope to study at New York University or Boston University because it is located in a big city. To expand my perspectives, I seek a global experience, and colleges in big cities would provide just that, as I can study, work and live amongst students from very different backgrounds, often from other cultures and countries. Additionally, since I come from Hawai’i, which in itself is a diverse place, I feel I would adjust easily and embrace being a part of those distinct communities. By living in a community with international diversity, I will have the chance to connect with others and create meaningful relationships. This will further allow me to more effectively communicate with various people, identify and tackle problems with a global team, and use innovative and creative ideas. My experiences, in addition to furthering my education, will expand my understanding of globalization and its challenges, as well as how I can be a positive influence within the international community.

With the many opportunities that have been provided to me thus far, I have plans for my college experience and my future career. As I gained much by studying abroad in high school, one of my academic goals is to study abroad through a college’s established study abroad program. Studying abroad will provide me with a range of internship and possible job experiences. In addition, it will allow me to fully immerse myself in another culture and community to broaden my understanding of collaborating with others. In conjunction with studying abroad, I strive to earn a degree in biology and attend medical school to make my dream of becoming a doctor specialized in oncology achievable. During my college career, I also plan to continue volunteering at a local hospital to gain more experience in the medical field. When I graduate from medical school, I intend to return to Hawai’i to serve my community at home. I hope that my experience on the mainland and with various medical backgrounds allow me to actively contribute to my community and serve the people within it.