We are proud to announce that Lucy Rawson, who studies psychology at Wake Forest University, has won our 2017 JustJobs Scholarship award.
Lucy’s essay was inspirational and thoughtful. Lucy declared her major in psychology her sophomore year after observing the impact that mental illness has in the college-aged population. She has always been fascinated by the study of the mind, and from a young age, she fostered a strong inclination to help others work through their struggles. When she went to college, the need for mental health professionals became apparent to her. She has chosen her course of study because she believes that mental health is just as important, if not more important, than physical health.
Lucy’s openness, passion, and obvious drive will no doubt allow her success in her chosen career as a mental health counselor.
The six finalists – Lucy Rawson, Andrew Goldstein, Tracy Egbas, Lily Nelson, Hannah Dunaway and Nicholas Hallstedt– were selected from hundreds of other applicants for their dedication to learning, desire to make a positive impact on the world, and conviction to succeed as professionals. Choosing one winner was an incredibly difficult decision considering the exceptional student applicants and quality of their essays.
We want to thank our site visitors and all who voted to help us select a winner. The support shown through positive comments left for these students affirms both their career paths and the wonderful impact they already have on the lives of others.
To apply for the next JustJobs Scholarship, visit the scholarship page and check if your school has registered for the program.
I chose my majors together because the combination will allow me to do the most good in the world. I love researching two-partner secretion in my biochemistry lab under doctors Daniel Grilley and Robert Weaver. In order to successfully apply for grants to fund research, one must become a strong writer so one’s sponsors know the big picture of one’s research and its applications. I have also always been in love with reading and writing…
I want to pursue and MBA because I think there is much we can accomplish in our country and in our society if both business and government operated with the value structure centered around contributing back to the community it operates in. We should be answering questions such as, how do we ensure that the increased automation of our industries protects the American worker? How do we close the gender gap when it comes to both pay and benefits?
My personal interests in the public health field stem from international health inequality and its consequences to the people suffering from lack of health resources. Born in an impoverished household living in a mud-brick home in Afghanistan and raised in the sunny skies of California, I never once looked back to my motherland and actually appreciated that I survived the first five most important years in a country that lacks fundamental facilities and professionals to keep its population alive and well…
Instead of purchasing bed sheets decorated with the widely produced fair-skinned character, my parents sought out and special ordered sheets that depicted a black Barbie princess. As Nigerian immigrant parents of first-generation Americans, they took steps wherever possible to instill in their children a sense of pride in African culture. However, internalizing the significance of being a black female in America came with the gradual realization that people have predetermined assumptions about who I am based on the color of my skin…
Learning at a young age that I define the limits of my ability has made me set no limits for my achievement. In college, I decided to major in Agribusiness because my family had a farm in which I would work on after graduation. I enrolled in a biology class expecting a droning professor covering forgettable material. Instead, Dr. Steve Smith presented everything, from cellular biology to tree ring formation, with such energy and clarity that he could engage my inner smile…
I was lying in a hospital bed, shortly after brain surgery, experiencing the same sense of loss and angst I had felt after losing my father. It was at this moment that my interests in clinical psychology became more focused on the goal of studying and treating child and adolescent anxiety and depression. This realization built upon the general sense I had as a teen that I wished to pursue a career in helping others. The concept of therapy and counseling was something I had an interest in as early as age 13, and by my junior year in high school, I knew that I wanted to study psychology…
In the little rural town in Lagos, Nigeria where I grew up, children had to create their own entertainment. After school, they would gather together to play sing-a-long games and create frenzied contests. I was the child who preferred to sit alone in a corner, engrossed in a storybook. The fables about Mr. Tortoise and his near fatal fall from heaven or how he challenged the hare to a marathon; these were the tales that whetted my imagination. I would make up my own stories: about an old woman’s lonely tooth, or Okon’s bicycle tires that quarreled and refused to move in the same direction…
When I was in high school, I had a pretty rough time compared to other friends. I made a lot of poor choices, and these reflected on my academic performance. But I still managed to graduate from high school with a 3.6 GPA. During my senior year, my father and I found a 1968 Chevrolet C10 truck at an auction site. It was rusted like none other but the frame was solid, so it stole my heart. We purchased it for $1700 and brought it home to our garage in suburbia so I could work on it. When this happened, things changed in my life…
Growing up, I always knew that college was in my future; I come from a middle-class family who simply expected me to go. When I was twelve, I decided I wanted to go to law school. My path seemed set from the day I was born, and so did those of my older sister and the younger one. So I headed off to college my freshman year, ready to get an undergraduate degree in Economics before heading to law school…
I declared my major in psychology my sophomore year after observing the impact that mental illness has in the college-aged population. I have always been fascinated by the study of the mind, and from a young age, I fostered a strong inclination to help others work through their struggles. When I came to college, the need for mental health professionals became so apparent to me. In a society that promotes healthy living, psychological well-being is often downplayed. I have chosen my course of study because I believe that mental health is just as important, if not more important, than physical health…
Ever since first grade, or around the time it became apparent that a pro football career was not in my future, I’ve had only one career goal: to be a sportscaster. And why wouldn’t I? Watching sporting events and talking about them is what people with actual jobs do for fun and for free. Other people work late because their boss wants the report done ASAP. When I work late, it’s because a basketball game went to overtime. For sports fans, anchoring a nightly segment about sports is like working in a candy store…
Growing up, I always knew that college was in my future; I come from a middle-class family who simply expected me to go. When I was twelve, I decided I wanted to go to law school. My path seemed set from the day I was born, and so did those of my older sister and the younger one. So I headed off to college my freshman year, ready to get an undergraduate degree in Economics before heading to law school.