My Future as an Event Planner by Grace

My Future as an Event Planner by Grace - March 2020 Scholarship Essay

When I was 7 years old, I helped plan my grandma’s 70th birthday party. I had my little hands all over it – sending invitations, hanging decorations, baking the cake and entertaining the crowd – no task was too big or small. And it may seem crazy to know what you want to do from such a young age, but since that time, I have been working toward the goal of becoming a professional event planner.

My interest and commitment have escalated from coordinating school events in my ‘tween years, to taking on my first paid hospitality job at 14 scooping ice cream. I was named the highest-tipped employee and employee of the month many times during my three years there. In addition to this work experience, I also joined Meeting Planners International and took a college-level event planning course to learn more. And I did learn – I became aware that I had to branch out in order to gain more professional experience, so last year, I convinced a regional event planning company to hire me as their youngest paid intern and got the job. My knowledge of the field is growing so much and I am more committed than ever to my career path. The video linked here gives you an overview of the work I have done to start my career: https://youtu.be/ZefCzgU7fXE

I am motivated by the idea of developing large-scale events that resolve hard issues and find solutions for those in need. Events like Live Aid, Special Olympics and The Susan Komen Race for the Cure are just a few examples of how special events have the power to change the world. I have chosen to major in event management in college because I believe with this career I can make a difference that can improve people’s lives.

The following is an example I’d like to share with you…

Growing up, I was shy and didn’t like talking in public. There were many times I wanted to speak up, but I wasn’t always comfortable making my point in a crowd.

By middle school, I was participating in groups that required me to speak publicly and it was very uncomfortable. It was then I decided if I had to be a public speaker, I would do whatever it took to become a good, if not great, one.

I started practicing and accepting requests to speak at everything from my middle school graduation to serving as a church lector in front of 500 people regularly. I spoke about the work of a local food pantry for fundraising. I entered a high school public speaking competition and won a scholarship. In short, through hard work and determination, I conquered my fear – and realized I could help others conquer theirs as well. And since my research taught me that 90% of the world “would rather be the guy in the coffin than the one giving the eulogy” (quote credited to Jerry Seinfeld), I knew there were a lot of people I could help.

I decided to start with ‘tweens and early teens first since they were closest to my age. I developed the free public speaking training event called “Speak Out for ‘Tweens!” for low-income middle school students five years ago. “Speak Out for ‘Tweens!” combines a kick-off presentation with a six-month after-school public speaking club that culminates in an end-of-year speech competition. The goal is for all participants to walk away more confident, more articulate and enjoy, not fear, public speaking. A secondary goal is to help students with a financial need earn speech scholarships to the school of their choice.

I led “Speak Out for ‘Tweens!” for four years while I was in high school, devoting 600+ hours and training more than 100+ middle-school participants, seven of whom earned tuition scholarships. “Speak Out for ‘Tweens!” was promoted on schools’ web sites, newsletters and in the local media. Word of the event reached more than 100,000 people during my time leading it. The magazine article and five-minute video links here summarize the work I have done to make “Speak Out for ‘Tweens!” successful: https://youtu.be/se0JSkG4k-M and https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-magazine/march-april-2019/top-teens/5/

Upon starting college this fall, I decided to offer “Speak Out!” to adults to help them overcome their public speaking fears too. I redesigned my curriculum to fit into a much shorter time frame and now offer it for free to my college peers and business organizations such as Rotary International. Much like my event for ‘tweens, the requests keep coming.

I have been working for the past five years in the hospitality industry and am currently a freshman at Drexel University, so you could say that I am already half way through my 10-year career plan. Drexel is a five-year co-operative education program – known as co-op. This is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education provides academic credit for structured job experiences, so in addition to the five years I have already been working in the hospitality field, I will add another five years of true work experience while in college. Upon graduation, I will have 10 years of experience. However, I realize this is just the beginning, so will work for a few years (hopefully with a great mentor), to learn even more before starting my own event planning business.

Thank you for considering me for your scholarship.