Curating resources & sharing stories to empower teacher & student ownership, wonder, and daring.
The Build A Better Scholarship application deadline has officially passed! I’m excited to dive into the applications and read about the projects that you all have been working so hard on. I know it’s hard to wait, but please be patient with me as I make my way through the applications. The goal is to have winners chosen and notified by May 1, 2025.
Thank you again!
I was talking with my friend and a teen girl in our neighborhood the other day, and the topic of jobs came up. My friend mentioned that her brother worked for our city doing various things such as snow plowing, clearing water lines, driving the city’s bigger trucks, etc. The young girl who was with us misunderstood and thought that meant he was also a garbage truck driver. Her immediate response was, “Ew! I wouldn’t want to do that!” We clarified that he didn’t drive the garbage trucks, explained again what it was that he did, then talked about how important all jobs are. Can you even imagine a world without our garbage workers, snow plow drivers, and sewer technicians? I don’t even want to think about what things would be like without hard working people who do those jobs.
There are so many kinds of jobs out there— there is something for everyone— and not every job requires a bachelor’s degree or higher. Colleges and universities offer a wide selection of degrees and areas of study. While traditional colleges are great for some, they aren’t great for everyone. So what do you do if you want an education, but don’t really want to attend a traditional college or university? Perhaps a trade school might be a good fit!
Trade schools are so valuable! They provide education and opportunities to many people, and the jobs they train and educate people for are essential jobs in our society. Trade schools offer a wide variety of career training options— such as skilled trades, medical, business, automotive, digital arts, and more. These career fields are crucial! We need people who can properly and safely install the electrical wiring in a new building. We need nurse assistants and dental hygienists. If it weren’t for auto mechanics, a lot of us would be in heaps of trouble when our cars stopped working correctly. Imagine the chaos that could happen if your water lines burst— thank goodness for plumbers! Welders are crucial for creating the steel infrastructure of large buildings. Cosmetologists keep us looking our best. I’m especially thankful for HVAC techs who come fix my air conditioning when it breaks in the middle of a heat wave!
Not only do trade schools provide the necessary education for these important jobs, they also provide hands on training and experience. Many offer apprenticeships, allowing students to dive right into the nitty-gritty of their chosen field. Experience is truly the best educator. I know I certainly wouldn’t be too excited about having a phlebotomist attempt to draw my blood without any prior practice, nor would I trust someone to properly install electrical wiring and components in my home who hasn’t had hands-on experience doing so.
Other kinds of jobs have their own specific “trade” schools. Police officers, pilots, and others have specialized schools and academies that only offer instruction that is very specific to that particular career field. These schools are often separate from other programs and colleges.
Traditional colleges and universities are valuable in their own right, and so are trade schools. They each have their value and place. It truly is an amazing thing to have so many kinds of education at our fingertips. There really is something for everyone. Trade schools are every bit as important as a four year college, master’s program, or doctorate program. They each provide specialized instruction for many career areas and allow for people of all walks of life to gain the necessary education for their interests.
This week’s scholarship reminder and tip is about submitting your videos and pictures! Since we can’t physically meet with every single applicant to see their project in action, we need you to SHOW us your work in the form of photos and videos. Both video and photos are required to be considered as a scholarship winner. Below, I have included the specific requirements and guidelines for both photo and video submission. The requirements listed below are exactly what you will find on the application.
Video Requirements:
*2-5 minutes
*Must be edited to include:
-Examples of your work in action (photos, video clips, etc.)
-A few words directly from you regarding your project (can be voice-over)
*Include 1-3 brief interviews with people you are working with
*Must address the following questions:
-What would you improve with more time?
-What new skills or concepts have you acquired?
-What have you learned about yourself based on the experience?
***IMPORTANT*** Please make sure your video is viewable. Please check the share settings before submitting it. You can choose to upload a Google Drive folder containing your video OR you can upload or link a YouTube video you made.
Photo Requirements:
We would love to see evidence of your project and work! Photos could include, but are not limited to: pictures of brochures/handouts/advertisements you created to go with your project, pictures of your physical prototype, if applicable, and pictures of you in action– giving a presentation, working with your community, building your project, etc. You are the magic behind your project– take pride in it and document yourself making a difference, then share it with us!
Please share photos of publish-able image quality of your work. A minimum of 5 photos is required, but more is encouraged.
Failure to upload images will result in disqualification. Uploading images directly or providing a link to a Google Drive folder of photos is acceptable. Providing photos in a video slideshow, PDF page, PowerPoint, social media account, or any other non-publishable way will result in disqualification.
You can find additional application requirements and other information here. As a reminder, applications are due on April 7, 2025 at 11:59 MST.
Just a friendly reminder that final application submissions for this year’s Build A Better Future Scholarship are due by Monday, April 7, 2025 at 11:59 MST. Prior to submitting your application, please ensure you have met all requirements, have all pictures and videos correctly uploaded to the form, and that all contact and school information is accurate.
You can find the application as well as our FAQ page here. Should you have any further questions, please reach out to us via email at scholarship@honorsgraduation.com.
We can’t wait to see the amazing projects you have been working on!
The time has come to unveil the new branding for our scholarship! As I stepped into the role of scholarship chair and content writer, I began noticing some variations in the way that those who came before me referred to the scholarship. The original name for our scholarship was the Design A Better Future scholarship (which I’m assuming came from the fact that the projects needs to be based on the design thinking cycle). But as the years went on, it also started being referred to as the Build A Better future scholarship and both titles started being used interchangeably.
In order to *hopefully* limit future confusion, I decided to update the scholarship logo and declare one title to be the official title from now on. The HGU scholarship will henceforth be known as the Build A Better Future scholarship. I felt as though using the verb “design” was too passive and wasn’t giving our applicants enough credit. Yes, they are using the design thinking cycle but they are also going above and beyond to bring their designs to life.
In addition to updating the logo and title, the website has been updated with all the information needed for our 2023 scholarship! I look forward to seeing how the next group of applicants works on building a better future for their communities. If you or anyone you know is a high school senior that will be graduating in 2023, you can find more information regarding the scholarship here and here. Please email scholarship@honorsgraduation.com with any questions. Good luck!
This is part of a series of blog posts introducing you to our 2022 Build A Better Future scholarship recipients and their projects. We hope you will find their stories as inspiring as we do! For information on our scholarship, click here.
The final scholarship awardee I have for you is Shoshana Folic! Shoshana’s project, Wishing’ U Well, earned her our top spot; which means that in addition to her $10,000 scholarship, she was awarded a $5,000 grant to continue funding her project.
From a very young age, Shoshana began noticing a lack of resources made available to the special needs community. Even before she started Wishing’ U Well, she volunteered with the Best Buddies organization, which offered her valuable insight into the needs of the community and the issues they face. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it exacerbated the disparity and Shoshana knew she needed to do more. She started the Wishing’ U Well platform at the age of fifteen, using her skills as a STEM student to maximize the resources that she wanted to make available. To quote Shoshana directly,
“Wishing’ U Well is a free online platform that is focused on improving the mental, physical, social, and spiritual well-being of those with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The Wishing’ U Well website is equipped with a multitude of different resources, sponsors, and social meetings between Florida high school volunteers and the special needs community.”
The website includes several sections, including workout tips and videos, basic nutrition information, coloring pages and playlists designed to encourage relaxation, mantras and affirmations, and–my personal favorite–the Fun With Friends program. Fun With Friends matches a special needs individual with a high school volunteer based on interests and hobbies and allows them to meet once a week via Zoom to talk, laugh, and bond with each other. Wishing’ U Well also hosts virtual group activities, such as drawing and cooking classes.
When it first launched, Wishing U’ Well only had five members in the special needs community, but has now reached over 850 special needs members from 17 different countries. They have also had over 100 high school students volunteer for the Fun With Friends program. Shoshana is actually trying to encourage more special needs members to join this community, as they have more volunteers than they know what to do with.
Moving forward, Shoshana would like to build up her network of sponsors and content creators to spread the word, increase special needs engagement, and supply even more resources. If you are (or know) someone who might be interested in sponsoring, promoting, or creating content for the Wishing’ U Well organization, you can send an email to shoshana.wishinguwell@gmail.com. Sponsors can be anyone from businesses, non-profits, sports teams, and social media influencers.
Likewise, if you know someone in the special needs community who you think could benefit from the resources provided by the Wishing’ U Well organization (hint: that’s everyone!), or if you would like additional information, please visit the official website: https://www.wishinguwell.org/
Wishing’ U Well can also be found on the following social media sites:
Instagram: wishing.u.well
Facebook: Wishing’ U Well
Twitter: @Wishinguwell_
A big congratulations to Shoshana for winning the top spot and a huge round of applause for her and all the work she has done in providing resources to the special needs community.
This is part of a series of blog posts introducing you to our 2022 Build A Better Future scholarship recipients and their projects. We hope you will find their stories as inspiring as we do! For information on our scholarship, click here.
Up next on our scholarship winner docket is Brooklyn Conrad! Brooklyn has been a member of her local 4-H since the fourth grade, which provided her with countless service opportunities. Some of those opportunities included gathering donations for her community food shelf. She began noticing that most of the food being donated was highly processed and it opened her eyes to the lack of fresh and healthy foods available to those in need.
And thus, the “Feeding Growing Minds for a Healthy Future” campaign was born.
Brooklyn began meeting with local and county government officials, stakeholders, and community members and explaining the importance of making healthier food choices available to those in need. Through her own research, she learned how to make garden beds from IBC totes and wire cattle fencing. With the help of master gardeners and the food shelf coordinators, she received instruction on what produce was most in-demand and which plants would be best for her garden.
In May of 2021, she was ready to get to work. Brooklyn was able to use her 4-H connection to assemble a group of volunteers and together, they planted a variety of vegetables. She watered the garden throughout the summer, and by July, there were vegetables ready to be harvested and donated to the food shelf. She continued nurturing her project and at the time of her application in May of this year, they had already prepped and planted the gardens for another season of fresh produce.
By partnering with her 4-H chapter, she made certain that her food shelf will continue to receive healthier food alternatives. She has been teaching current 4-H members how to maintain the garden and she connected them with a master gardener for additional expertise. Moving forward, Brooklyn hopes to share her project with other counties and is actively gathering resources and materials to help them start their own food shelf gardens. She also wants to set up a system where community members can donate extra produce from their own gardens to local food shelves, ensuring that an even greater variety of fresh fruits and vegetables are going to those who need them instead of going to waste.
