Scholarship Spotlight Spring 2009 - Ohlone College Foundation
Lucy Li
- Comcast & Ohlone College Foundation Scholarship
“The open nature of a college environment where intellectuals can meet and discuss ideas excites me.”
A college degree is not just a piece of paper to me; a college degree represents a chapter in the story that is my life. I have outlined the plot of my story, and skipping a chapter just does not make sense to me. While college may only be used to advance the plot, that does not mean there will be no character development in this chapter. My older friends always tell me that I will mature and grow as a person in college. I view college as the chapter of my life where the heroine must face her final challenge before taking on the real world. This is the last test before I become a productive member of society.
A college education will teach me what my parents and high school teachers could not: real world experience. The open nature of a college environment where intellectuals can meet and discuss ideas excites me. I wish to take part in this forum of ideas, and this is why I want to attend college and eventually, graduate school.
My experiences at Ohlone have been exciting thus far, and I am always undertaking new challenges and broadening my horizons as an undergraduate. During the second semester of my freshman year, I became a member of the Ohlone Math Club. I attended many of the meetings and participated in numerous activities that were both fun and exciting, while making many new friends in the process. As a result of my passion for this engaging environment, I decided to run for the position of public relations officer; I wanted to help improve the club with my organizational skills. I was elected as the Math Club’s new publicist and during the following ten weeks, I contributed new ideas to the club and helped motivate others into joining Math Club.
Besides Math Club, I would go to the Aegis Gardens Retirement Homes to do community service. My job was to direct visitors and assist staff members in aiding and entertaining seniors. Many of the elders in the retirement home are in their 70s, and movement can sometimes prove to be a bit difficult. Helping the elderly with their daily routine has not only built up my patience, but has also created a sense of familiarity between the patients and myself. Currently however, I have had to put my community service on hold as I am working multiple jobs to pay for tuition. With this scholarship, I can become more financially stable and return to helping out the less fortunate. Their smiles have been a continued source of motivation for me to keep going back. I have volunteered there for three years now, and I still try to find time to go help out and meet new people.
Emergency