Giving Back to DPS--How I'd Spend My Gap Year by MADDIE

Giving Back to DPS--How I'd Spend My Gap Year by MADDIE - August 2019 Scholarship Essay

I am a Politics major and education minor at Occidental college; I have high aspirations for pursuing a PHD, teaching as a professor for political theory classes, writing for publications, and getting an opportunity to fully enrich myself in intellectual study. I have always loved learning, reading, and writing. This question is almost fitting for me to answer, as since I've been home from an internship program I did in Washington, DC this summer, my parents and I have been talking about me taking a gap year between my Undergrad and PHD pursuit. If given the opportunity, I would make the most of my gap year by doing a year of service with City Year (Americore), giving back to Denver Public Schools.

To give some context, I was selected as a Bank of America student leader last summer and as part of the national program, had a paid internship with City Year--an education non-profit that addresses the drop-out rate in struggling schools across the country. I soon learned that I was incredibly fascinated by this work; I had an education background, spending a lot of my high school years tutoring and doing community service, but that summer solidified my love for giving back to the public school system. Americore members that do a “year of service” with City Year put their year on hold just to help teach in these schools, living on a low stipend. They do it not because they expect anything back, but because they genuinely care about contributing positively to underserved communities in any way possible. They are the first to get to the schools and often the last to leave, creating meaningful connections that often impact the kids' educational journey.

My internship with City Year proved to me that most of the experiences I had had in the past--and currently possess after a year at college--are well aligned with their mission. At Occidental College, I was heavily involved with Upward Bound (national) and the Neighborhood Partnership program (local), tutoring kids who mostly spoke Spanish, giving tours at my college, and even mentoring a student for the whole year. In high school, I tutored kids and taught them how to write, and prepared myself for a lifetime of social justice commitment.

Thus, to make the most of this hypothetical gap year--I would love to do a year with City Year. They are an incredible organization, one I had the pleasure of working with. Of course, I would love to write and travel, but ultimately, at the end of the day, giving back is really what motivates me to become immersed in the world in the most authentic way I am capable of. I hope, additionally, that the scholarship money Varsity Tutors could offer me in this scholarship opportunity could allow me to finish Undergrad with less debt. My parents and I have been working hard to pay for my education at Occidental college, so that I can continue to grow and give back to communities in the most meaningful way possible. These are all steps I must take to eventually get to this aforementioned enriching gap year. I appreciate your consideration.