JobTest Career Coach Scholarship for Law Students

From a young age, I have been deeply passionate about advocating for justice and improving the lives of others, especially my Native Hawaiian community. My desired career path is to become both an attorney and a lawmaker, where I can combine my skills and interests to address the pressing issues facing Native Hawaiians today, particularly concerning Hawaiian Homestead lands and other pressing social justice matters. I want to influence policies that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of displaced Hawaiians and help restore their access to land and opportunities. I have already taken several steps to lay a strong foundation to achieve my goals. Currently, I am pursuing a double major in Political Science and Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. This educational path is critical to my future as it equips me with the knowledge of public policy and law and a deep understanding of Hawaiian history, culture, and the unique challenges the Hawaiian community faces. Hawaiian Studies provides the cultural context and historical framework necessary to advocate for Native Hawaiians, while Political Science helps me understand the inner workings of government and policy-making processes. Both fields align with my career goals and will give me the tools I need to help my community. In addition to my academic studies, I have gained valuable experience working with the Hawaiian Historical Society, where I researched Hawaiian history and cultural practices. This experience deepened my understanding of the historical struggles faced by Native Hawaiians. This experience not only reinforced my commitment to pursuing a career dedicated to helping Hawaiians but also improved my research and analytical skills, which are crucial for both legal work and policy-making. My next career step will be attending law school at Brigham Young University in Provo. Law school will provide me with a strong foundation in legal principles, ethics, and the skills needed for effective advocacy. After completing law school and gaining experience in the legal field, I will run for the Hawaii State Senate when I am 35 years old. With this position, I will have the platform to propose and push for changes to existing laws, particularly those related to Hawaiian Homestead lands. I envision passing laws that reduce the blood quantum requirement, allowing more Hawaiians to receive Homestead lands and helping to address housing and economic inequalities. The skills I have developed align perfectly with my chosen career path. I am highly organized, detail-oriented, and a strong communicator—skills that are essential for both law and politics. My knack for public speaking will help me effectively advocate for policies and communicate with the public. Writing is another strength I have developed and is crucial for drafting legal documents and legislative bills. I am deeply motivated by my interest in Hawaiian history and my desire to help disenfranchised Native Hawaiians. I am also passionate about addressing homelessness and creating policies that help provide affordable housing in Hawaii. Through my career as an attorney and lawmaker, I hope to bring about tangible change that positively impacts my community. I see a future where I can work at the intersection of law and public policy to protect and empower Native Hawaiians. My passion for justice, combined with my skills, experience, and education, will drive me to work toward a more equitable future for Hawaii and its people.

My grandpa and I used to play this game when I was little. It was like hide and seek, except with our own special twist on it. He would call out my name, and every time I heard it, I had to hide in a new spot. When he found me, I would start running away, laughing as my little feet carried me away to the heavens. At that moment, it would just be me and my grandpa. We were going to last forever. That is until his Alzheimer's diagnosis came. He had become forgetful and often became confused. The news hurt me, but when he saw my stricken face, he promised me that nothing was going to change between us. It would still be me and him against the world. As time went on, his condition worsened. He soon forgot the names of his old college friends and distant relatives. He forgot how to play our game. "It's okay, Ong Ngoai," I said, "We can invent a new game!" I still went on, pretending that everything was okay, but it was not until he forgot who I was that I finally broke. We had to move him into a special kind of nursing center 30 miles away from his home in Saigon. His forgetfulness became more than just forgetting names and faces. He would struggle to perform his daily activities, needing help putting his shoes on or forgetting how to feed himself. The care that he needed was not available anywhere near us, and we had to send him to a facility where they could take care of him. We visit him every other weekend, and it takes everyone's combined efforts to keep their smiles on. We cannot cry. Not now. Not while Ong Ngoai is in his fragile state. Every time I saw him, my heart broke into another piece. My hurt was mixed with confusion as I did not understand why my grandpa would not get any better. I soon found out that there was no clear-cut cure for Alzheimer's. However, each tear I shed slowly began to transform into something new: ambition. My grandpa became my drive for wanting to pursue a career in the medical field. I aspire to become a neurologist in order to progress toward a cure for neural diseases such as the one that ails my grandfather. With this goal in mind, I have taken a variety of STEM classes in high school, working my hardest to understand each concept and its fundamental nuances. I have become the president of the HOSA chapter of my school, an organization encouraging students to pursue a healthcare career, and I have even competed at the international level for behavioral health. Additionally, I intend to major in biochemistry and neuroscience in my undergraduate years and pursue an education in medical school to achieve my career goal. My dream is to help as many people as possible through the development of neurological cures. Each stride I take is made with my grandpa in mind. While my Ong Ngoai may not be able to recognize me any longer, our society's future holds endless possibilities for the advancement of Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases. Through my hard work and ambition, I can create change for the betterment of our society by pursuing a career in the medical field. I thirst for a future where all grandparents can hold on to every memory and live each day knowing they are surrounded by love.