Combined Worlds Scholarship

Dear Senicia Marshall, Since my last application to the Combined Worlds Scholarship, I have succeeded as a student, artist, and individual. This semester, enrolled in Verto Education in Italy, I achieved a 3.95 GPA and earned recognition for various achievements, including an award for volunteer work, a program artist’s award, and a certificate of merit award in a music composition competition. I was proud of my lifestyle: studying hard during the week, maintaining a disciplined practice regimen at the piano, and traveling on the weekends. I led an Italian language club, guiding the exploration of etymological connections between English and Italian. In response to recent events on college campuses, I have completed an online course with the United States Institute of Peace. Yet, I have come to realize that these accomplishments are only labels under my name, a few more lines on my resume. These are not the moments that have transformed me. What truly matters is the growth and connections I’ve experienced during my time abroad. One impactful connection I made was with Gionata, an older gentleman and coat maker who welcomed people into his atelier, where vintage fur coats hung off every wall. His dark, inquisitive eyes lit up with passion as he improvised at the piano by the window. With his fragmented English and my developing Italian, we managed to communicate some, but we truly connected through music. After he closed the shop, I gave him lessons, leading him through an elusive Rachmaninoff melody or an operatic Chopin coloratura. He insisted I improvise on it, making it my own: “Rachmaninoff is Rachmaninoff, Ryan is Ryan.” It became the highlight of his day. I will remember him. The experience taught me how people, despite having different backgrounds, can find great connections. As I reflect on my journey, I recognize that many of my experiences–leading an Italian language club, coaching javelin, forming an ensemble, or connecting with Gionata–have been about fostering meaningful human connections. This scholarship will help me afford tuition to continue learning in a diverse and dedicated environment emphasizing human connection. My goal is to continue studying music performance and composition with intention, among other interests, and to further develop as an artist and individual. I would be motivated, honored, and grateful for this opportunity. Thank you once again for considering my application with care. Sincerely, Ryan Paulů

“We’re moving to Japan!” my mother announces, full of excitement, expecting me to share her energy. As a military brat, I knew moving was inevitable, but moving abroad was unexpected. The idea of moving to a different country, let alone a different continent, was a terrifying idea for a girl who had spent her entire life in America. Moving meant spending my junior and senior years in Japan; it meant graduating in Japan. It meant almost no one would be likely to come to my graduation besides my mother. I instantly felt hatred toward the country. I was stubbornly determined to have the worst experience, to prove to my mother that this was the worst place to be stationed. I was no stranger to making friends since I had moved practically my whole life; it was the drastic change in culture and what I had known my entire life that truly scared me. Eventually, the time came, and I traveled over 26 hours to move to Japan, my new ‘home.’ Once we landed in the Okinawa airport, it was an instant culture shock. The colors, the worker's kindness, and the change from letters to hiragana were jarring yet surprisingly exciting. Despite our differences in culture, the locals never showed us any hatred or apprehension. They even knew English, making communication much easier than I anticipated. I was beginning to get excited about living here. I spent the next two years enjoying my time in Okinawa. I made many friends, both Japanese and American. I learned new Japanese words, learned how to properly recycle, to say thank you no matter the task, and gained a new perspective on the importance of benevolence toward strangers. Going to festivals in Japan and observing their customs, like bowing, taught me the humility and respect you should have towards any and everyone. I began to approach other cultures with an open mind and not create previous judgments without experiencing them firsthand. When I applied and moved back to the States for college, I felt I not only had a new fun fact about myself but a new and open perspective about cultures. I took a Spanish class and started keeping up with a pen pal to learn even more about other cultures around me. Luckily, as an American, I find myself in a melting pot of many different cultures. It not only solidified my career goal as a communication and media major but taught me to embrace my diversity. To this day, it drives my commitment to promoting cross-cultural understanding and inclusivity through media. My move to Japan wasn’t only a shift geographically but a reshaping of my cultural perspective and how I live my life to this day.

I come from an isolated small town in northern California. I was raised by a single mother who had a physical disability that left her unable to operate a vehicle. Life in a small town did not offer the opportunity to learn about other cultures or heritages. It was not until I was an adult that I spent any amount of time outside that small town. As soon as I could, I started traveling all over the United States. Then when I was twenty-four years old, I had the opportunity to move to Las Vegas, Nevada. It is one of the most diverse cities in the United States. My first few months living here were somewhat of a culture shock. There were so many stores, foods, and new people to meet that I became overwhelmed. It has been amazing though getting to learn about various backgrounds and cultures that I would have never encountered if I remained in that small town. Ever since I left, I have made it my goal to visit at least one new place in the United States each year. Two years ago I got to travel outside the US for the first time. I went to Jamaica, the Grand Cayman Islands, and Mexico. It was the most incredible trip of my life. I got to meet so many individuals along the way who taught me about the history of their land and introduced me to various cultural norms. I tried tons of new foods, finding my new favorite is jerk chicken from Jamaica. I hope to continue to stamp new countries in my passport, while visiting at least one new country every two years. As a social worker, I must learn more about other cultures, perspectives, and environments. It will be my responsibility to support individuals from diverse backgrounds and the only way I can do that effectively is by learning as much as I can about their culture. By embracing travel and learning from my experiences within different countries, I can get first-hand insight into the lives these individuals live daily. This will allow me to incorporate important cultural aspects into their treatment plans while also understanding the various situations they come from.