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Dominic Pequeno

1,545

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Nominee

1x

Finalist

Bio

In the years of high school and middle school I decided to teach martial arts. I started doing martial arts when I was in 5th grade, but I only started teaching martial arts in 7th grade. At first, I was an awkward instructor as I was still learning the ropes of teaching children younger than me or at that time around the same age as me. But after a few years I was able to teach around 20 kids all at the same time. Marial arts ignited my passion for working with kids. I knew when I grew older that I wanted to work with children in some shape or form. So, I decided that I will be going for a psych major when I go to college. I'm still undecided on the specific form of psychology I'm going for, but I know it will have something to do with children. With a psych major I want to be taught how people think and why they act in certain ways. Of course, these questions will pertain more towards children than anything else. Healthy habits are important to learn at a young age, so if I can help kids through their struggles, I know they will be set for life.

Education

Edgewood High

High School
2018 - 2023

Miscellaneous

  • Desired degree level:

    Bachelor's degree program

  • Majors of interest:

    • Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology
    • Social Work
  • Not planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Mental Health Care

    • Dream career goals:

    • Summer Camp and After School Counselor

      ATA Maryland
      2018 – 20202 years

    Sports

    Wrestling

    Junior Varsity
    2021 – 2021

    Tennis

    Varsity
    2021 – Present3 years

    taekwondo

    Club
    2017 – Present7 years

    Awards

    • state and district championship titles

    Arts

    • EHS Art Club

      Painting
      2022 – Present

    Public services

    • Advocacy

      Gay Straight Alliance — Member
      2021 – Present
    • Volunteering

      American Taekwondo Association — Performed at local schools and community events
      2017 – 2020
    • Volunteering

      American Taekwondo Association — Raised money and volunteered at yearly fundraiser
      2017 – 2021

    Future Interests

    Advocacy

    Volunteering

    Dr. Meme Heineman Scholarship
    In the years of high school and middle school I decided to teach martial arts. I started doing martial arts when I was in 5th grade, but I only started teaching martial arts in 7th grade. At first, I was an awkward instructor as I was still learning the ropes of teaching children younger than me or at that time around the same age as me. But after a few years I was able to teach around 20 kids all at the same time. Of course, I wasn’t teaching alone but when it came to be my turn to teach a drill the floor was mine. I’ve taught many kids with different personalities. Some of them were extremely shy, some of them pushed my buttons, some of them were even funnier than a professional comedian. But when the time came, they were all focused and ready to learn new techniques. I feel the main thing that martial arts teach you is to be confident. I know when I first started doing martial arts, I thought it would be impossible to get my black belt. The idea of even getting it was so far out of reach to me. I never really believed that I would ever make it that far. But every new belt I got was like a hurdle that I had overcome that eventually led to the finish line, my black belt. With this new achievement, I learned something very important. Those things may seem impossible but when you put in the effort you will be rewarded for it. This brought me a confidence that I had never felt before, the achievement proved to me that I was capable. It was extremely rewarding when I saw kids that I taught to gain the same confidence that I had. I could relate to them; I could relate to that feeling. Martial arts ignited my passion for working with kids. I knew when I grew older that I wanted to work with children in some shape or form. So, I decided that I will be going for a psych major when I go to college. I'm still undecided on the specific form of psychology I'm going for, but I know it will have something to do with children. With a psych major I want to be taught how people think and why they act in certain ways. Of course, these questions will pertain more to children than anything else. Healthy habits are important to learn at a young age, so if I can help kids through their struggles, I know they will be set for life.
    Sammy Meckley Memorial Scholarship
    n the years of high school and middle school I decided to teach martial arts. I started doing martial arts when I was in 5th grade, but I only started teaching martial arts in 7th grade. At first, I was an awkward instructor as I was still learning the ropes of teaching children younger than me or at that time around the same age as me. But after a few years, I was able to teach around 20 kids all at the same time. Of course, I wasn’t teaching alone but when it came to be my turn to teach a drill the floor was mine. I’ve taught many kids with different personalities. Some of them were extremely shy, some of them pushed my buttons, and some of them were even funnier than a professional comedian. But when the time came, they were all focused and ready to learn new techniques. I feel that martial arts teach confidence. I know when I first started doing martial arts, I thought it would be impossible to get my black belt. The idea of even getting it was so far out of reach to me. I never really believed that I would ever make it that far. But every new belt I got was like a hurdle that I had overcome that eventually led to the finish line, my black belt. With this new achievement, I learned something very important. Those things may seem impossible but when you put in the effort you will be rewarded for it. This brought me a confidence that I had never felt before, the achievement proved to me that I was capable. It was extremely rewarding when I saw kids that I taught to gain the same confidence that I had. I could relate to them; I could relate to that feeling. Martial arts ignited my passion for working with kids. I knew when I grew older that I wanted to work with children in some shape or form. So, I decided that I will be going for a psych major when I go to college. I'm still undecided on the specific form of psychology I'm going for, but I know it will have something to do with children. With a psych major I want to be taught how people think and why they act in certain ways. Of course, these questions will pertain more to children than anything else. Healthy habits are important to learn at a young age, so if I can help kids through their struggles, I know they will be set for life.
    Elevate Mental Health Awareness Scholarship
    The career path I am planning to pursue is an adolescent psychiatrist. In middle school and high school, I taught kids martial arts. I always liked teaching kids martial arts because I saw their confidence grow significantly from the time that they started until the time they got their black belts. It brought me immense joy to see them push past such great endeavors. These experiences I had with children are what motivated me to want to become an adolescent psychiatrist. I feel the main thing that martial arts teaches is to be confident. I know when I first started doing martial arts, I thought it would be impossible to get my black belt. The idea of even getting it was so far out of reach to me. I never really believed that I would ever make it that far. But every new belt I got was like a hurdle that I had overcome that eventually led to the finish line, my black belt. With this new achievement, I learned something very important. Those things may seem impossible but when you put in the effort you will be rewarded for it. This brought me a confidence that I had never felt before, the achievement proved to me that I was capable. It was extremely rewarding when I saw kids that I taught to gain the same confidence that I had. I could relate to them; I could relate to that feeling. I believe the most valuable time for someone in their life is their youth. Most of your personality is determined by your childhood experiences. The same thing goes for your skills and how to deal with problems. It is easier to be taught something when you are younger because at that age your brain is like a sponge. Your brain is eager to soak in information when you are younger vs when you are older. You can still learn new skills as an adult, but the only difficulty is that an adult brain does not soak in information as easily. Your brain is not as spongy as it was when you were a child. By becoming an adolescent psychiatrist, I can teach kids healthy habits in how to deal with their problems. Whether that be being able to properly express their feelings or knowing how to deal with any mental health disorder they might have. It is important to have these habits as a base for them so that they can have something to lean on when they find themselves struggling with mental health problems. I think being an adolescent psychiatrist is an especially important job because not only does it help a child deal with their mental health. But the job also lets children know that they have someone to rely on if necessary. As their psychiatrist, I would prioritize comfort so that we would get the best results needed to help them. Everybody needs someone to lean on in the world so I believe my career path would be perfect for doing such a task. With my career path, I would be able to leave a positive impact on the world. Teaching children healthy habits would make them better adults. They could treat their mental health so they can function properly. Since they would be able to function properly, the world would function even better. The best way to improve the world is to improve the people. My role as an adolescent psychiatrist is necessary to do that. With my career path, I can help leave a positive impact on the world making it a better place.
    Marcarelli Community Spirit Scholarship
    The career path I am planning to pursue is an adolescent psychiatrist. In middle school and high school, I taught kids martial arts. I always liked teaching kids martial arts because I saw their confidence grow significantly from the time, they started until the time they got their black belts. It brought me immense joy to see them push past such great endeavors. These experiences I had with children are what motivated me to want to become an adolescent psychiatrist. I believe the most valuable time for someone in their life is their youth. Most of your personality is determined by your childhood experiences. The same thing goes for your skills and how to deal with problems. It is easier to be taught something when you are younger because at that age your brain is like a sponge. Your brain is eager to soak in information when you are younger vs when you are older. You can still learn new skills as an adult, but the only difficulty is that an adult brain does not soak in information as easily. Your brain is not as spongy as it was when you were a child. By becoming an adolescent psychiatrist, I can teach kids healthy habits in how to deal with their problems. Whether that be being able to properly express their feelings or knowing how to deal with any mental health disorder they might have. It is important to have these habits as a base for them so that they can have something to lean on when they find themselves struggling with mental health problems. I think being an adolescent psychiatrist is an especially important job because not only does it help a child deal with their mental health. But the job also lets children know that they have someone to rely on if necessary. As their psychiatrist, I would prioritize comfort so that we would get the best results needed to help them. Everybody needs someone to lean on in the world so I believe my career path would be perfect for doing such a task. With my career path, I would be able to leave a positive impact on the world. Teaching children healthy habits would make them better adults. They could treat their mental health so they can function properly. Since they would be able to function properly, the world would function even better. The best way to improve the world is to improve the people. My role as an adolescent psychiatrist is necessary to do that. With my career path, I can help leave a positive impact on the world making it a better place.
    Walking In Authority International Ministry Scholarship
    The career path I am planning to pursue is an adolescent psychiatrist. In middle school and high school, I taught kids martial arts. I always liked teaching kids martial arts because I saw their confidence grow significantly from the time, they started until the time they got their black belts. It brought me immense joy to see them push past such great endeavors. These experiences I had with children are what motivated me to want to become an adolescent psychiatrist. I believe the most valuable time for someone in their life is their youth. Most of your personality is determined by your childhood experiences. The same thing goes for your skills and how to deal with problems. It is easier to be taught something when you are younger because at that age your brain is like a sponge. Your brain is eager to soak in information when you are younger vs when you are older. You can still learn new skills as an adult, but the only difficulty is that an adult brain does not soak in information as easily. Your brain is not as spongy as it was when you were a child. By becoming an adolescent psychiatrist, I can teach kids healthy habits in how to deal with their problems. Whether that be being able to properly express their feelings or knowing how to deal with any mental health disorder they might have. It is important to have these habits as a base for them so that they can have something to lean on when they find themselves struggling with mental health problems. I think being an adolescent psychiatrist is an especially important job because not only does it help a child deal with their mental health. But the job also lets children know that they have someone to rely on if necessary. As their psychiatrist, I would prioritize comfort so that we would get the best results needed to help them. Everybody needs someone to lean on in the world so I believe my career path would be perfect for doing such a task. With my career path, I would be able to leave a positive impact on the world. Teaching children healthy habits would make them better adults. They could treat their mental health so they can function properly. Since they would be able to function properly, the world would function even better. The best way to improve the world is to improve the people. My role as an adolescent psychiatrist is necessary to do that. With my career path, I can help leave a positive impact on the world making it a better place.
    Valiyah Young Scholarship
    The career path I am planning to pursue is an adolescent psychiatrist. In middle school and high school, I taught kids martial arts. I always liked teaching kids martial arts because I saw their confidence grow significantly from the time, they started until the time they got their black belts. It brought me immense joy to see them push past such great endeavors. These experiences I had with children are what motivated me to want to become an adolescent psychiatrist. I believe the most valuable time for someone in their life is their youth. Most of your personality is determined by your childhood experiences. The same thing goes for your skills and how to deal with problems. It is easier to be taught something when you are younger because at that age your brain is like a sponge. Your brain is eager to soak in information when you are younger vs when you are older. You can still learn new skills as an adult, but the only difficulty is that an adult brain does not soak in information as easily. Your brain is not as spongy as it was when you were a child. By becoming an adolescent psychiatrist, I can teach kids healthy habits in how to deal with their problems. Whether that be being able to properly express their feelings or knowing how to deal with any mental health disorder they might have. It is important to have these habits as a base for them so that they can have something to lean on when they find themselves struggling with mental health problems. I think being an adolescent psychiatrist is an especially important job because not only does it help a child deal with their mental health. But the job also lets children know that they have someone to rely on if necessary. As their psychiatrist, I would prioritize comfort so that we would get the best results needed to help them. Everybody needs someone to lean on in the world so I believe my career path would be perfect for doing such a task. With my career path, I would be able to leave a positive impact on the world. Teaching children healthy habits would make them better adults. They could treat their mental health so they can function properly. Since they would be able to function properly, the world would function even better. The best way to improve the world is to improve the people. My role as an adolescent psychiatrist is necessary to do that. With my career path, I can help leave a positive impact on the world making it a better place.
    @Carle100 National Scholarship Month Scholarship