My Motivation to Obtain the Darwin T. Turner Scholarship

The Darwin T. Turner Scholarship is a program of diversity and leadership initiatives. Hello, my name is Simratdeep Kaur and I believe I should be a Turner Scholar because I show great potential in the future. I have maintained great academics, participated in many school organizations, and given back to my community. I decided that I will earn a career as a nurse since my passion has always been assisting others and trying to improve their quality of life. Therefore, I think that pursuing such a career will provide me the opportunity to help improve the community's health quality conditions and learn about their medical needs. Many think getting a scholarship is easy and comes with no promises. But in Truth, you receive a Darwin T. Turner Scholarship of that magnitude by the potential you showed throughout your high school years not only in the classroom but outside of it as well. I had lived in India since I was born until my parents decided to move to America for better studies. My fears of moving to a new country from my homeland were overwhelming. I felt as if time had stopped and I didn't know what to think. I couldn't decide whether this life-changing sentence was something I should be looking forward to or something that will cause me to face more problems than rewards. I had to leave all my friends and some of my family behind, especially my papa whom I truly loved. I moved to an environment that was totally different from the one I came from. I knew that this would be the biggest difficulty I would have to overcome. As a new 4th grader in a place where Indians where were very uncommon, I felt as if I was invisible in the classroom. Since I had a very strong Indian accent, I was looked down by other students and didn’t get treated the same. My parents decided to move to a country completely distinctive to them so that we could get a better education. This made me establish great respect and love for my parents. It changed my attitudes, from mostly negative to positive thoughts.

What can I bring to this program?

I can bring a non-stop, can-do attitude. If you have a goal in your mind then you should always lead to achieving that goal. I realize that even if you fail or lose that is no reason to give up, you still have to get right back up. Bringing a leadership club, where everyone feels welcomed would be a great idea! Throughout my life, I have learned that caring for individuals is very important in order to keep humanity alive. Caring for others is a passion that I had since a child and I would love to continue this passion along with my peer. Another idea I would bring to this program is to volunteer more around our community. I always say, “Giving respect to anyone, either younger or older than oneself, will always feel like the greatest accomplishment. Though, being able to look after the ones you love most is a feeling that is indescribably amazing.” The first time I realized I had a passion to take care of others was when I had the opportunity to volunteer in a nursing home back when I lived in New York. I did not know what to expect since this was my first experience working with people I did not know. It was very reassuring to see the enormous smiles on the faces of the people I was assisting.

Looking back at it now, I want other people to realize that one should never underestimate a stranger’s capacity to impact another’s life because the effects can be pleasurable and everlasting. Last but not least, I would like to bring more acts of diversity into the program. Some examples I had was planning an Ethnic Awareness day, volunteering as a counselor at a local summer camp, and Practicing random acts of kindness. Building a place where everyone feels comfortable can help a lot of people. By expanding this program people who are in need of help can feel welcomed and protected.

In this program, I will make everyone feel like they belong there rather than being an outcast. In final, I believe I deserve this scholarship because I have the potential and will to succeed and make a contribution to this program.