![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/1644953288602.webp)
Hobbies and interests
American Sign Language (ASL)
Dance
Reading
Adult Fiction
I read books multiple times per week
Avanna Tiwarie
1,445
Bold Points1x
Finalist![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/1644953288602.webp)
Avanna Tiwarie
1,445
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
Growing up with a physical disability has allowed me to view the world differently than most people would. At the young age of five, I was involved in a severe accident that left me hearing impaired in both ears. I was diagnosed with Bilateral Auditory Neuropathy as well as Bilateral Auditory Processing disorder after the accident occurred. Because of my disability, I had immense trouble when it came to learning in school and making friends. I had little to no accommodations and was often ignored when I asked for extra help. On top of that, the accident caused me to develop severe social anxiety, which eventually rendered me mute because I struggled to hear my surroundings and the voices of others. Over the years, my hearing has gotten significantly worse with my left ear now having profound hearing loss and my right ear having severe hearing loss. Every day is a constant struggle with trying to manage my anxiety and becoming the best version of myself.
My main life goal was to always make a difference in the lives of those with disabilities. Because of this, I am pursuing a Doctor of Occupational therapy degree and I aspire to work with individuals of various conditions to make their lives easier and to give them a sense of independence, which is something I never experienced.
I believe I am a great candidate because despite the hurdles I have faced growing up and the discrimination I have experienced, I have not stepped down from working towards my most desired goal, which is to become a successful practicing Occupational therapist.
Education
University of Florida
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)University of South Florida-Main Campus
Bachelor's degree programMajors:
- Psychology, Other
Pasco-Hernando State College
Associate's degree programMajors:
- Education, General
Miscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
- Psychology, General
Career
Dream career field:
Occupational therapy
Dream career goals:
Company founder
Customer Service
Ross Dress for Less2019 – 20201 year
Sports
Color Guard
Present
Arts
- Music and DancePresent
Public services
Volunteering
AdventHealth — Ambassador/Patient Services2019 – Present
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Dr. Meme Heineman Scholarship
Having a physical disability of my own has allowed me to view the world differently than most people would. At the young age of five, I was involved in a serious accident that left me hearing impaired in both ears. I was diagnosed with Bilateral Auditory Neuropathy as well as Bilateral Auditory Processing disorder a few years after the accident had occurred. Because of my disability, I had immense trouble when it came to learning in school and making friends. I had little to no accommodations and was often pushed to the side when I asked for extra help. On top of that, the accident caused me to develop severe social anxiety, which eventually rendered me mute because I struggled to hear my surroundings and the voices of others. It was a very traumatic experience. Over the years, my hearing has gotten significantly worse with my left ear now having profound hearing loss and my right ear having severe hearing loss.
I believe I should be awarded this scholarship because regardless of how difficult my life is, I am still determined to make the world a better place for those with disabilities. Having a disability and witnessing firsthand how the world treats us pushes me to bring about a change and educate others that having a disability does not make us any less than those without disabilities. Thanks to my hearing disability, I have been rejected and discriminated against multiple times from jobs, purposely left out of school clubs, not taken seriously when it came to requesting school accommodations, and have had others emotionally abuse me by saying I’m incapable of becoming successful. This scholarship would make a difference in my life because it would allow me to become a practicing Occupational therapist, something I have dreamed of and worked tremendously hard towards after high school, without the financial stress. My biggest goal in life has always been to become a practicing Occupational therapist because it has been my dream to work with those with disabilities of all types and advocate for them. I myself was a patient of Occupational therapy and I cannot express enough how Occupational therapy treatment changed my life as a young child.
I am majoring in Psychology and I hope to pursue a career in Occupational therapy in the future. This scholarship will assist me in propelling the field of applied behavior analysis using the principles of positive behavior support to improve the quality of life for individuals with developmental disabilities because it will allow me to complete my education and learn how to assist those with developmental disabilities and to make life easier for them. That has always been my number one goal in life because ever since I was diagnosed with my disability, I found it tremendously difficult to do simple things in life and it has always been at the top of my list to improve the quality of life of those with disabilities.
All in all, becoming an Occupational therapist would allow me to make the world a better place by changing the perspectives of others and making them understand that being disabled does not make one any different than another. We are all human but we are all different and I had a hard time accepting that it’s okay to be different because being different makes us who we are. My goal is to stop the discrimination those with disabilities face and to make society accept us for who we are because, at the end of the day, everyone has something they don’t want, and having a disability is just one difference. I am very deserving of this scholarship because I have come such a long way in life and I am nowhere done yet. I have so much more I want to accomplish and there is nothing in this world that will stop me; not even my disability.
Bold Empathy Scholarship
I feel empathy is a strong word because empathy essentially means to understand and share the feelings of others but I feel that unless if you have experienced the same as one another, then it becomes difficult to understand and share a person's feelings.
One way I combat this and how I treat others with empathy is by putting myself in someone's shoes and seeing life through their point of view. By doing this, I have come to the understanding that everyone is different and each of us process grief, happiness, anger, and sorrow in a different way. When someone is feeling a certain way, I would mirror their feelings and see that situation from their eyes. I believe everyone has their own struggles in life and one person's struggle is not greater than another's. One example of how I treat others with empathy is by giving them a shoulder to cry on, a pillow to punch in anger, excitement when they're ecstatic about something, and advice when needed.
I feel treating others with empathy is important because with everything happening in the world in today's time, we could all use a person to lean upon and be empathic towards. Only then the world would be a much better place.
Bold Loving Others Scholarship
I had always lacked confidence as a young child and it only became worse as I grew up. My lack of confidence had gone hand-in-hand with my selective mutism (severe social anxiety), which means it was hard for me to convey my love for my family and friends, let alone how I portrayed my love towards them. Over the years, it took me an immense amount of courage to overcome my severe anxiety as I worked with Speech and Occupational therapists consistently throughout my grade school years. This allowed me to open up more and be able to do the things I always struggled to do, such as simply saying "I love you" to those I loved or making them feel appreciated.
Now, as I look back, I realized I haven't had much of a chance to make those I loved, feel loved. Ever since this has come to my attention years ago, I now do the smallest of things to make my family and friends feel loved. These small acts would range from making dinner every day for my family, surprising my parents and sibling with gifts on their birthdays, Valentine's day, and other special holidays, completing a task before I am even told to do it, keeping the house clean, and just simply saying how much I appreciate them daily. I always remind myself how short life is and how important it is to make others feel loved because who knows when you will get an opportunity like that again.