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Bold Wise Words Scholarship

Funded by
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Bold.org
$500
5 winners, $100 each
Awarded
Application Deadline
Jun 12, 2022
Winners Announced
Jul 12, 2022
Education Level
Any

Wisdom, a term so loosely used today that often, we don’t know when we truly experience it. 

In life, some people hold more wisdom than others. This may be the result of experience, upbringing, or a vast difference in their education. Nonetheless, wise people send wise messages that can change the lives of others in more ways than one. 

In an effort to allow students to reflect on the wise words they’ve been told, the Bold Wise Words Scholarship will go to one student in any field of study who has heard some profound and life-changing words they’d like to share. 

To apply, please write about the wisest thing you’ve ever heard.

Selection Criteria:
Essay, Reflection, Vision, Meaningful
Graduate School ScholarshipsHigh School ScholarshipsUndergraduate Scholarships
Example Scholarships
Essay ScholarshipsWriting ScholarshipsPoetry Scholarships
Published March 11, 2022
Essay Topic

What is the wisest thing you've ever heard?

200–300 words

Winners and Finalists

Winning Applications

Hannah Best
Wilkes UniversityFairfield, PA
“Life is not without pain, but life concerns itself with how we handle that pain, or joy, or confusion, or triumph. Life is more than time passing before death; it is the sum and total of all we make of it.” - Elegos A’Kla (I, Jedi) As a Star Wars fan, most of the advice I take to heart comes from the characters themselves. This quote, by Elegos A’Kla, was not something I heard but something I read. As an avid reader, I come across sayings, quotes, and thoughts that all change the way I see the world around me and how I live my life. The quote above taught me that I need to live in the moment. That instead of concerning ourselves with the pain we feel and the confusion we experience, we need to learn to embrace the joy and the triumph as well. There is no life without pain, both physical pain and the pain we feel on the inside. However, depending on how we choose to live our lives, determines how we handle those emotions. This quote also taught me that life is not simply meant to be the time we have till we leave this world. We need to make the most of it and experience everything we can before death comes upon us. I have the habit of counting down the days in the week or living in the future when I need to start learning to live in the present. Elegos A’Kla, a character in the novel I, Jedi, taught me that life is more than what we believe. There is more to life than what is seen on the surface, you need to dig a little deeper to learn what life truly means to you.
Alejandro Benavides Aguilar
The University of Texas at AustinAustin, TX
The wisest thing I have ever heard is "slow is smooth, and smooth is fast". I have heard this saying in martial arts by my master which means you have to first do something slow so it can be proper, and once the form or act is proper it can be done faster. Ever since I listened that sentence I truly used that method of thinking in anything that I did. I used that lesson in my classes in school, understanding the lesson step by step, mastering it and applying it with ease later on. In dance, I had to see the routine slowly before I could actually go into the dance. Once I knew what steps I had to do I had to move in rhythm, and finally I danced in full speed. Relationships were also affected because of that saying! I would talk with people about general topics such as the weather, favorite hobbies and activities, and with more time I spent time with the person I could speak about specific details such as their job, how is their family, how was the party last night? Being slow doesn't mean you are bad, it just means you are beginning at something. All you need to master a skill is time.
Nicole Villa
Florida International UniversityMiami, FL
It is March, 2022. Enrolling back in college was nothing but an idea. It had been 2 months of soul searching. Looking for the perfect approach to my career, thinking of the many possibilities, and ultimately waking up from panic attacks in the middle of the night. What was my purpose? I knew things had to change. And it all started with practicing better lifestyle habits. I decided to visit my grandma in my hometown. Sometime during my stay, I asked for guidance, when she told me: “You have to start at the beginning”. As obvious as it sounded, it was the one thing I actively avoided. I was intimidated by the idea I could achieve anything I worked towards. Becoming my best self would require me to break a lot of bad habits. It was particularly challenging to not procrastinate. I had to learn why I constantly put off those things I wanted to do. To help with this, I started waking up earlier and establishing a routine that worked best for me to stay consistent. Of course, there were times where I felt back in square one. But no matter the circumstance, I learned to see my emotions as mostly responses instead of indicators. Although it can be tricky to balance work and life effectively, practice has made it better. Ironically enough, I found comfort in not reaching my expectations, but rather to chasing a sense of fulfillment. Anything will be harder at the beginning but with repetition, it only gets easier. Three months later, as I begin my junior year in college at a new school, I am now more prepared than I ever was to face whatever challenge that comes my way. Starting from the very beginning, using what I have, and doing what I can.
Jason Ross
Antioch University-New EnglandSeattle, WA
“No one person can change the world by themselves, that is impossible,” my high school English teacher had told me freshmen year. I had recently come to her in utter frustration after writing an essay on the Matthew Shepard case. In a rage, I had vented to her that I wanted to do something about LGBTQ-centered hate crimes in this country, because of the brutal way Matthew Shepard was murdered for being gay. I believe that is where my fire for social justice was ignited. In that moment of not understanding how something that horrible could happen to someone so sweet and innocent when I was ready to shout from the rooftops about how unfair the treatment of minorities was in this country, Ms. O’Neill instilled a message in me that I still refer to today. She said, “Our job’s as advocates are not to change the world by ourselves, but to inspire those around us, in our corner of the world. You just have to reach one person in your community, because hopefully they’ll be inspired to speak out and then they’ll inspire someone else until you have a ripple effect. That is how change happens.” With the Black Lives Matter movement, gun control, abortion rights, and LGBTQ rights, whenever I feel like I’m not doing enough work to raise awareness, I’m reminded of what Ms. O’Neill said my freshmen year of high school, that I just have to inspire one person to create a ripple effect that will enact change.
Riley Letendre
University of Massachusetts-BostonNaples, FL
One day, I was sitting on my couch, rewatching D2: The Mighty Ducks. You may find yourself wondering what a seventeen-year-old girl was doing rewatching a children's movie, but I'm thankful I did. Toward the end of the movie, the team is in a locker room huddle with their Coach, who encourages them not to sink to the dirty playing of the other team in the last period. His specific words were "if I sink to their level, I've lost more than my knee" (knee relating to an injury he had). I remember having to pause the TV at that very moment and think for a while. At that time, I was dealing with a difficult teacher at school - and by difficult, I mean emotionally manipulative. I am a very emotional person, so I always felt like they were trying to get the best of me. What I took away from this quote was that if I stooped as low as their behavior was, if I didn't play fair or nice just as I always was, I'd lose my pride. It made me realize that this situation, in the grand scheme of life, was temporary and that giving this adult the attention and reactions they want would only be hurting me. I couldn't let them affect me so much that they took away who I was and what I believed. When I pressed the play button on my remote that day, I knew my mindset had changed. I knew exactly the attitude I needed to have and what I needed to do to cope with and combat the situation. And I guess I have a children's movie to thank for that.
Fei Andres
Yeshiva UniversityDanville, CA
“You cannot pour from an empty cup.” I’ve always taken pride in supporting others whenever needed. However, I was always burning the candle at both ends, working long days, taking extra shifts, staying after classes to tutor others, and always leaving my phone on in case a friend was in crisis. I thought I was doing everyone a service, and maybe in a way, I was. It made me feel like my existence mattered, but what I didn’t know was that my actions were insidiously taking a toll on me. In 2018 everything came to a crux. My overachieving self thought my unreasonable schedule was sustainable, and spoiler alert, it wasn’t. On top of that, I was also struggling with deteriorating mental health. I was not attending to my needs, and as a result, many self-destructive coping mechanisms returned. I was hospitalised three times in four months due to two suicide attempts, one so severe I was in the ICU for three days. I eventually began a PHP and it was there that I learned the empty cup metaphor. Since 2018, I’ve witnessed that it’s only when your cup is full that you can truly help others. It’s just like the metaphor of the oxygen mask on planes. By taking care of your needs first, you’re making sure you have enough air so you can provide others assistance. Until that need is met, you cannot healthily help others. And now, as I begin my PhD program, I know I need to make sure I'm taking as best care of myself as I can. My cup might not be full right now, but I’m taking steps to ensure that one day it will be so I can live my value of helping others and continue creating a life worth living.

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FAQ

When is the scholarship application deadline?

The application deadline is Jun 12, 2022. Winners will be announced on Jul 12, 2022.