Scholarship Essay Entry – Wes N.

Ever since moving out of my parent’s home, I’ve realized how lucky it is to not have to be responsible for the many costs in life. On my own, I am now in charge of paying for food, housing and utilities. Although I often complain about not having luxuries, I am one of the luckier students out there. There are many students out there who really have it quite tough. Rather than focusing on studying and getting the most out of their education, a lot of focus is shifted toward how they are going to pay tuition or whether to go without a lunch. There was a time when I had to rebalance my life especially when I became sick one year and had to pay for medications and treatment without insurance, as well as being unable to work and function normally. And yet I am very fortunate compared to other students out there who sometimes don’t have the financial, social, friend and family support that I had which are often crucial in making things work.

During my time so far at the university, I have gotten into volunteering at the Campus Food Bank. The Campus Food Bank focuses on the need for balance: ensuring proper nutrition, health and life balance to maximize the potential of everyone.  Once I graduate, I would like to continue volunteering and/or working with the Campus Food Bank to expand the services provided and to bring better attention to the issue. Often, student hunger is an issue that is being ignored and with the current economic downturn, a larger number of students are struggling to make ends meet, let alone pursuing the ir dreams in life. I hope to spread the word on student issues and promote the growth of services to address them. I would like to bring about more services in mental health; often an area that is just as important yet ignored further.

I believe the first step is awareness.  And while I am writing, I would like to start. Did you know that over the last three years, usage of the food bank has dramatically increased over 20% each year?  And with rising tuition and housing costs, it seems to only be getting worse. Some students out there retain full time jobs while taking a full time course load: many hours that can be used to study and expand the mind. If the goal of an educational institution is to prepare the next generation of minds to be the best and brightest, then more efforts are needed to help retain those that are rich in intelligence and dedication but may not be so rich financially.

My dream is to help those that want to make a difference in the world be able to do so. By developing resources to help students, they can continue to study and someday make their impact in the world. Thank you very much for this opportunity and allowing me to spread the word to you.