Author Conservatory Scholarship

The attendant changing my car battery at Autozone mentioned that he writes children's books. My wife and I bought two of his books on the spot. It's what the Golden Rule means for us-- taking every chance we get to encourage and support writers, even when it means buying books outside our preferred genres. With both Margaret and I enrolled in Author, our first baby due May 19th, and our primary income source a business that I'm racing to get off the ground, we don't have much spending money, but much of what we have we spend on books, especially books by authors we know personally-- authors to whom we can say "great book! Keep writing" in a way that they know we mean. And if we meet an aspiring writer, you can bet your last nickel that writer won't leave the conversation without being referred to the AC. I'm passionate about lending my mind to fellow authors. I know that an off-the-wall idea or even simply a listening ear may prove key to a brainstorming breakthrough, so I prioritize my brainstorming pod. I recently stepped into the role of pod organizer and am looking for ways to not only increase engagement for my own pod but to work with other pod organizers to increase engagement in theirs. Although I'm grateful for the way in which I lead and serve in the writing community, my most important leadership and service activities are in my family. Margaret is the world's best wife, and I'm honored by her enthusiasm for the vision for our family life that we're unveiling together. She's supported every step of my author and business journey. Not only that, she's started Author herself-- while pregnant! She's amazing. Over the past two years, my priority has been nurturing our marriage and encouraging Margaret to pursue her dreams (and she's done the same for me). Along the way, I've gotten to mentor my three younger brothers, as well as Margaret's younger brother. When I'm not pouring into Margaret, my siblings, or my in-laws, my habit of befriending strangers has led to me sharing my faith with a Chinese exchange student, an agnostic YouTuber, and a Muslim taekwondo master. I've also exercised leadership in forging my life story book business. Because I'm a sole proprietor, I may not be leading any employees, but I am carving a new path by networking and educating people about my business. As for how I'd like to serve and strengthen the Conservatory, I focus on offering brainstorming help, both to my pod and to students in the brainstorming space. I'm also on two street teams for Anthology 10's launch. As I move into Platform 1, I hope that increasing my own following will make me better at promoting fellow Author students. With my business in its infancy, our income is uncertain-- and with a literal infant coming, we'll have more expenses soon. Because of this, I'm not certain I'll have enough saved to continue to Year 3 when my Year 2 ends in November. A scholarship would make that easier. However, God has provided for us thus far, and He will provide going forward. If I don't get this scholarship, I'll rest assured that it's going to some other worthy student.

My name is Caleb Costner and when I was five years old, I was diagnosed with epilepsy. This, along with the fact that my father is a pastor of two small-town churches and my mother is a schoolteacher, means that paying for things like schooling or vacations is sometimes difficult. My epilepsy also makes it harder for me to find a job since I'm not able to drive. It would be extremely dangerous if I were going down the road and had a seizure, rendering me only semi-conscious for a while, and got into an accident. All that being said, despite my seizures, and with the undying support of my family, I have been able to do quite a bit. I am an Eagle Scout and the current Assistant Scoutmaster in Boy Scout Troop 159. I've helped instruct Scouts and encouraged them to earn their Eagle Rank. I organized and led my Eagle Scout project, which involved building and installing wooden benches at a local park and communicating with workers, town board members, local businesses, and my troop. I do my best to give back to my community, including my fellow writers. I've done so, many times in different ways such as: Attending and hosting critique groups in the OYAN program, sitting in on calls within the Conservatory to cheer on and encourage other students, by becoming the leader of a Brainstorming Pod in the Conservatory, attending writing conferences, and by trying to provide helpful feedback to other students and writers outside the conservatory when they show me their work or it's posted on the Conservatory Community. Finding more and better ways to serve other people is something I always strive to do in both my everyday life and in the Conservatory. It's a part of the Scout Law and Oath, which says that "a scout is helpful" and to "help other people at all times." Which as an Eagle Scout, I try to live up to each day. I plan on giving back to the Conservatory community by continuing to be an encouragement to other students, by showing people that if a guy with seizures can work hard to achieve his goals, then so can they. I'm going to do my best to be a good and helpful leader of my Brainstorming Pod. I've also always thought it would be fun to host an event on the community to meet and interact with more people and get to know my fellow classmates and students better.