College Matters to Make It in My Field by Grace

College Matters to Make It in My Field by Grace - April 2020 Scholarship Essay

When I was seven 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. My interest and commitment to my chosen career has escalated from coordinating school events to taking on my first paid job at 14 scooping ice cream. I continued to work and learned that I had to both get a college degree in hospitality management and branch out now 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. Click here to see a video summary of my career journey so far https://youtu.be/ZefCzgU7fXE

I am passionate about working toward the goal of opening my own event planning company. While I would agree that not all professions require a college degree, in this industry it makes no sense to run the risk of ruining your reputation before you have even begun simply because you didn't get the education you needed to succeed.

According to stats researched by Inc. magazine, only 4% of all small businesses survive the 10-year mark, so I believe the money I will pay for a college education where I will learn most of what I need to know in a mere five years or less is well worth the investment. While it is possible I could be successful in this business without a college education, I can launch my company so much faster and more efficiently by learning from, and making connections through, the professionals at one of the nation’s top hospitality management programs.

I am motivated by the idea of developing large-scale events that resolve hard issues and finding 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 lives.

Over the past five years, I have also been working on a long-term event I developed. Its purpose is to make life better for middle school students (and now adults) and I believe it summarizes my philosophy about the importance of learning and serving the public. I’d like to share that story with you here…

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. Through hard work and determination, I conquered my fear – and realized I could help others conquer theirs as well.

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.

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 and newspaper articles and five-minute video link 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/ and March 2017 (page 35)

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 compressed time frame and now offer it to my college peers and business organizations such as Rotary International. Much like my program for ‘tweens, the requests keep coming.

While I know it is a long road ahead to earning my bachelor’s degree, I am convinced that my willingness to learn and commitment to hard work will pay off in a successful event planning career. Thank you for making this scholarship opportunity available to help pay for my education.