Female Empowerment Scholarship

$1,500
1 winner$1,500
Awarded
Application Deadline
Nov 1, 2022
Winners Announced
Dec 1, 2022
Education Level
Undergraduate, Graduate
Recent Bold.org scholarship winners
Eligibility Requirements
Education Level:
Undergraduate or graduate
Race/Ethnicity:
BIPOC
Gender:
Female
Education Level:
Race/Ethnicity:
Gender:
Undergraduate or graduate
BIPOC
Female

American poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou once said that “each time a woman stands up for herself, she stands up for all women.”

The best ways to help empower women are to give them opportunities, encourage them through all of their challenges, and treat them with the same respect given to men. As a way of empowering the next generation of great women, the Female Empowerment Scholarship will support women of color who have been led to believe that hard work must be doubled to match the same recognition and same salary as their male counterpart. This scholarship can give them an opportunity to pursue their dreams.

Undergraduate or graduate female students are eligible to apply if they are BIPOC students. In your application, write about your experiences and your plans for making an impact on the world.

Selection Criteria:
Ambition, Need, Boldest Bold.org Profile
Published July 26, 2022
$1,500
1 winner$1,500
Awarded
Application Deadline
Nov 1, 2022
Winners Announced
Dec 1, 2022
Education Level
Undergraduate, Graduate
Recent Bold.org scholarship winners
Essay Topic

Tell us a bit about yourself, your early childhood, and how you plan to make a positive impact on the world.

400–600 words

Winning Application

Vanessa Alcala
Capella UniversityMonterey Park, CA
I grew up in an environment where physical and verbal abuse was normalized. I focused on my academics to prove my obedience and intelligence to my parents. My mother struggled with mental illness to the point where she made delusions in her mind about the type of people her children were. She beat my siblings and me to the punch where we had to cover for her with the family services department. My father was no stranger to her abuse but refused to divorce her due to his religion. I have four siblings, one of which is only ten years old. Except for the ten-year-old, everyone moved out within a few weeks of turning eighteen due to my mother's abuse. My parent primarily spoke to my siblings and me in Spanish. Due to the language barriers between my parents and the rest of society, I became somewhat of a translator. Through this acquired skill not unknown to immigrant children, I learned to advocate and speak on behalf of my parents. I developed a deep passion for language and helping people. I learned ASL to help support my deaf friends and my clients. I also requested non-English speaking cases to help break down barriers they may face. With my love for language and advocacy work, I was drawn to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). While in university for my undergraduate degree, I worked for nonprofits and ABA companies to work directly with underserved communities. I have a human-first approach which makes me a bit different compared to my colleagues. I asked clients for input and worked to break the stigma of noncompliance. I worked to teach many clients skills such as independent living skills, Manding for preferred stimuli, cleaning, cooking for themselves, financial knowledge, and requesting help. I found that many clients lacked resources due to language barriers, and I created visual documents with translations to help increase the quality of resources. After graduating with my B.A. in psychology, I gained legal custody of my youngest sister due to my parents' negligence. During my time with her, I used my ABA knowledge to teach her how to read, maintain hygienic standards and communicate her needs. She taught me how to be patient and to heal my inner child. We have led similar lives, and I saw the cycle of abuse break while she was in my care. Through the use of therapy and family intervention, we transfer parental rights to my father, who is now raising her alone. Now, I plan to give back to my community through the work of ABA and advocacy. I am currently attend a graduate degree. My plan is to become a clinician and provide quality care to low-income and non-English speaking communities. Breaking trauma cycles and providing quality care has become my passion in life. I hope to devote myself fully to helping those under severed communities.

FAQ

When is the scholarship application deadline?

The application deadline is Nov 1, 2022. Winners will be announced on Dec 1, 2022.

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