For DonorsFor Applicants

St.Hilaire Leaders of Tomorrow Scholarship

Funded by
user profile avatar
St.Hilaire Family
$2,350
1 winner$2,350
Awarded
Application Deadline
Jul 5, 2024
Winners Announced
Aug 5, 2024
Education Level
High School
2
Contributions
Eligibility Requirements
Education Level:
High school senior
State:
New Jersey
Background:
Community service or volunteering experience
Involvement:
Student-athlete

Making the leap from high school to college comes with many trials and challenges that many students aren’t prepared for.

The change in environment, opportunities for independence, limited guidance, and increased workload of college can take even the most high-achieving students by surprise. The key to succeeding in college and beyond is learning to be well-rounded. Student-athletes, in their simultaneous pursuit of academic and athletic success, demonstrate the skills necessary to thrive as they work toward their educational goals.

This scholarship seeks to support student-athletes who are preparing to transition from high school to college so they can succeed in all of their endeavors. 

Any ambitious high school senior who is a student-athlete in New Jersey with community service or volunteering experience may apply for this scholarship.

To apply, submit an essay or short video telling us about yourself and your athletic, educational, and service-based experiences and achievements.

Selection Criteria:
Ambition, Drive, Impact
Published April 2, 2024
Essay Topic

Tell us a bit about yourself and achievements in the following areas: 


1. Sports / Athletics

2. School / Education

3. Volunteering / Community Service


Additionally, please share your personal goals following high school.

0–600 words

Winning Application

Catherine King
University of Michigan-Ann ArborSummit, NJ
Robin Roberts from 'Good Morning America' says "turn your mess into your message". I agree. But I say that we should also "turn your mess into your mission". As the varsity soccer team goalie during my junior year of high school, I sustained a brain and neck injury that still impacts me today. The injury caused symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, vision and memory issues, tingling in my limbs, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, and a consistent headache that was longest-lasting and debilitating. Two years later I am better, but still recovering. Throughout this process, I went to physical therapy and cognitive therapy to help me learn techniques that would help me manage schoolwork and my symptoms. Although this was a difficult time in my life, it exposed me to the medical field in a more intimate way and it made me fascinated with what exactly caused the pain that I was experiencing. As long as I live I will never forget the care I receive from nurses and other health care professionals who work together to take care of me. They gave me medical care, but more importantly they gave me hope and demonstrated techniques to me for how to improve my symptoms and improve my quality of life. I now volunteer at that medical center that I grew up seeing from my backyard. With the influx of immigrants into the NJ/ NYC area recently, and the increase in the population of homeless people, hospitals are serving a more diverse and disadvantaged patient population. Meanwhile, the healthcare system fails to give fair treatment to sick Americans, who are already suffering due to their ethnic, sexual, or socioeconomic identity. Moreover, Black maternal mortality rate in the U.S., which is three times that of white women, is of particular concern to me as a woman of color. Through the care I will provide, I will have the honor and privilege of "seeing" people, validating them, particularly those who look like me, in a world that often discounts our experiences. This is the most powerful part of patient care that can be provided. I will be enrolling at University of Michigan this fall to pursue my BSN because the program's emphasis on compassion and humanity through social justice resonates with me. It will prepare me to serve all patients in our increasingly diverse society. I share the program's values of inclusivity and dedication to resolving discrepancies in patient care. As a nurse, I will be determined to hold my profession, my colleagues and myself accountable to make sure that variations in quality healthcare, institutional racism/sexism, and implicit biases do not compound the suffering of future patients, especially the most underrepresented in my community and broader society. Having sustained a serious injury and struggled with the long term effects, I hope to bring a level of personal understanding to my study which will in turn make a positive impact on the future patients I serve. So the advice I would give to others experiencing adversity is not to deny your pain or ignore it. But rather, look for the opportunities in difficult experiences that you can use to make you better, and make you stronger. I would also say never give up! In my senior year after my injury, I led my varsity team to its first ever county championship in 67 years, and was named to NJ's all county and all state soccer teams! Using your "mess" to help others, can be an act of healing not only for you, but for others too.

FAQ

When is the scholarship application deadline?

The application deadline is Jul 5, 2024. Winners will be announced on Aug 5, 2024.