|
|
|
Minority
Scholarship Winners
3rd Quarter, 2006
 StraightForward
Media is proud to announce that the winner of our 3rd Quarter, 2006,
Minority Scholarship is Elvia Lopez-Hernandez. In 2001, I applied to college to study the B.A in English Language Teaching. Even though my family was having serious economical problems, I could afford my tuition, school material and rent with an economical scholarship I got at my school and some savings I got from my work in a herbal store. Fortunately, I could keep that scholarship until I graduate.
During the last two semesters of my major, I did some professional practices in a Language Center. As practitioners, we had to help teachers to teach some lessons applying different teaching methods, approaches, and techniques. It was a good experience for me since I was doing what I like, to teach.
After I graduated from college (2005), I was giving some English lessons to a group of children in my neighborhood, as well as I was teaching in an Institute to a group of teenagers. I did that for about three months.
In January 3rd, 2006, I came to the United States in a program called Cultural Care Au pair. I took the decision to apply to this program because I was willing to improve my English level, to learn about American culture, and besides that because I love children.
I got to Purcellville, Virginia to live with a host family in order to take care of a three-month baby, live together with the family to learn about their customs, and traditions. I had also the opportunity to take some credits in the Northern Virginia Community Center. I took some classes such as: Listening and Speaking, Reading and Writing, Advanced Writing, Accent Improvement.
Currently I am taking a class titled American Culture. Moreover, I am enrolled in the Institute of Children’s Literature; I am taking a distance course to write books for children. I am lucky to have as my personal instructor a professional writer, Constance McAllister.
Read an excerpt from Elvia's winning essay here.
 2nd
Quarter, 2006
StraightForward
Media is proud to announce that the winner of our 2nd Quarter, 2006,
Minority Scholarship is Katie Miller, a graduate
of the University of California at Santa Barbara, UCSB in Middle Eastern
History. She spent a year abroad studying in Jerusalem and traveling
throughout the Middle East: Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Israel.
"I am also a musician, a singer and songwriter. I play guitar
and electronically record and produce my own music. My life has taken
many twists and turns, but one theme that has remained constant throughout,
is my interest in exploring and learning, experiencing life to the
fullest, and my passion for social justice for all people.."
Read an excerpt from Katie's winning essay here.
| 1st Quarter, 2006
StraightForward Media is proud to announce that the winner
of our 1st Quarter, 2006, Minority Scholarship is Thu
Nguyen. |
|
| "Growing up from a Vietnamese family, I was
always pressured to do well in school, to succeed every task
handed to me and to perform it with flying colors. My family
instilled in me good work ethics and independence, more so by
pressure than by encouragement. My mother always dreamt of having
a daughter who will become a doctor, a surgeon, or even a nurse
to accomplish her dream of the medical field. My sister chose
her own path, thus more pressure was forced upon me to do better
than her and to become what is expected of most Asian parents,
a doctor."
Please click here
to read an excerpt from Thu's winning essay.
|
 4th
Quarter, 2005
StraightForward Media is proud to announce that the winner of our
4th Quarter, 2005, Minority Scholarship is Nazia Kazi.
Nazia is currently enrolled at Columbia University’s School
of Social Work. She is focusing on policy work and services to immigrants
and refugees.
"My family comes from Bombay, India, and I was born in Chicago.
I spent my early teen years as an expatriate in Dubai, U.A.E., and
then returned to Chicago. I speak Hindi and Urdu and have studied
Arabic. My family practices Islam during a time when American Muslims
are heavily persecuted. This has been a formative part of my identity.
I recently presented a paper at Emory Law School’s Feminism
and Legal Theory Conference about Muslim women and human rights. Eventually,
I hope to contribute to the resources available to women of color
in the United States, in terms of developing research and services
that are culturally competent. I want to work toward building alliances
between different populations of color and understanding the similarities
between all of our struggles."
Read an excerpt from Nazia's winning essay here.
 3rd
Quarter, 2005
StraightForward Media is proud to announce that the winner of our
3rd Quarter, 2005, Minority Scholarship is Ho Hoi Ying.
She is in the Doctor of Psychology (Clinical Psychology) program in
California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP). She is in her
second year.
Before coming to the United States in 2004, she worked in Hong Kong
as a speech pathologist for children with special needs. "There
I met and treated a lot of children diagnosed with autism and have
developed a keen interest in finding more effective intervention methods
for them. So I started to participate in psychology classes and eventually
decided to further my education and experience in the field of psychology."
"After my graduation, I plan to bring my expertise and the most
state-of-the-art services back to Hong Kong or Asia. I also want to
utilize my background in Chinese culture and my Western knowledge
and combine them to improve the models of intervention. To make good
intervention accessible to a big population, I also have the vision
of developing a service center that would provide various services
for children and families. To this end, I have continued to endeavor.
For example, I am pursuing a second degree in organizational studies
(Master of Arts in Organizational Behavior) at my school. With knowledge
and insights from both psychological and organizational training,
I believe I can contribute to a better tomorrow for the children and
families who need help in our society."
Read an excerpt from Ho Hoi's winning essay here.
 2nd
Quarter, 2005
StraightForward Media is proud to announce that the winner of our
2nd Quarter, 2005, Minority Scholarship is Twyla Baker-Demaray.
Twyla is a graduate student at the University of North Dakota.
Twyla Baker-Demaray was born in North Dakota and raised on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in New Town, ND. She attended college first at Bismarck State College and at the University of Idaho in Moscow, ID. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Geology & Technology and is currently a graduate student at the University of North Dakota, where she expects to obtain her M.S. in Education/Research Methods in December 2005.
She has been a Graduate Research Assistant at the National Resource Center on Native American Aging at the Center for Rural Health, UND, since January 2004. Her work includes assisting hundreds of tribes throughout the United States in completing a nationwide Native elder needs assessment to be used by tribes and government agencies in providing services and care. Her thesis focuses on elder abuse in Native populations.
Twyla is an enrolled member of the Three Affiliated Tribes, or the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations of Fort Berthold. She is born to the Water Buster Clan, and is a daughter of the Knife Clan. She and her husband Allan live in Grand Forks with their three children, Red Earth age five, Brings Rain age four, and Stands Holy Woman age two.
Read an excerpt from Twyla's winning essay here.
Will you be the next winner? You can't win unless you apply. You can apply online now -- you might be our next
winner!
|
