Clarity by Lauren

Clarity by Lauren - December 2015 Scholarship Essay

As a junior in high school, I had the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. with a nonprofit organization, the Foods Resource Bank. We visited congressional offices and nonprofits in the area, building relationships over critical issues regarding the importance of food sustainability. These few days completely changed my perspective and showed me the power of my own voice. I now see the needs of the world, and how I can affect them, in a different light. In ten years, I intend to find a group of people with which I can take that light to dark places and bring people who are underwater to the shore.
I want the next ten years, and the rest of my life, to be dedicated to chasing that light, to concentrating all of my skills on a purpose larger than myself. I hope to work with other people towards sustainable development, whether in regards to food resources, energy resources, poverty, or peace. People around this world need the ability to sustain and maintain their own necessities. They need more than a box of food or a coupon for welfare. They need long-term solutions to their dysfunctional situations and systems. My goal is to work for an organization, whether national or international, that finds ways to make resources and education available where needed so that independence and integrity are truly possible for the people it serves.
Therefore, I will study Nonprofit Management and Leadership at the School for Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University in Bloomington. This program is unlike anything I have found, providing a multitude of opportunities for growth in education and leadership. I am beyond excited to apply to the Civic Leaders Learning Center and possibly begin my freshman year alongside other motivated leaders. I will thrive in a residence hall focused on leadership and public service. In addition, I will be honored to participate in the Washington Leadership Program and study in the epicenter of public policy and nonprofit opportunity. Such an internship will be essential to me in discovering how I want to continue in my career. By attending one of the top public affairs schools in the United States, I will gain the experiences and skills I need to work for a nonprofit that makes a difference.
I’ve always felt a deep passion for service, and the conviction to act on it. Year after year I lacked a path for that motivation. Nevertheless, my experience through the Foods Resource Bank introduced a life-altering shift in my heart and mind. Finally all of the misplaced, mismatched pieces connected. Suddenly the next four years gained a driving force, a purpose that extends into the next decade. Kahlil Gibran said in The Prophet, “It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” No matter what direction I turn as the years go by, my ultimate goal is to always give of myself. The person I am in ten years may be completely transformed but she will most certainly follow this passion in spite of everything else.