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Chloe Litwak

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Finalist

General information

Reading

I read books multiple times a week.

Bio

Thank you for your consideration!

Education

Florida State University

Bachelor's degree program

2021 – 2025

Majors:
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other
Minors:
  • Chemistry
  • Mathematics

Melbourne Senior High School

High School

2017 – 2021

Majors:
  • Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Miscellaneous

Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Medical school interest:
No

Career

Miscellaneous

Has nursing license:
No

Future Interests

  • Advocacy
  • Volunteering
  • Philanthropy
  • Entrepreneurship
Online ADHD Diagnosis Mental Health Scholarship for Women
As a biology major, the difficulty of my classes do not leave much room for error. As a result, my GPA quickly plummeted during my first year in college. I did not know how to study for college-level classes, and my environment made me feel too depressed to try. Many things about my surroundings were causing me to feel depressed – I lacked meaningful friendships, I did not feel passionate about any organizations on campus, and the degree of difficulty I encountered in my classes was unlike anything I had faced before. Sophomore year, I was determined to do things differently. I believed that joining clubs would provide me with goals and events to look forward to, enhance my social life, and help me feel more motivated to study and improve my grades. I became involved in four organizations on campus. My personal life instantly improved, and with a renewed sense of purpose I was finally able to direct my focus to my academic performance. With each class I took, I began to notice a common pattern more frequently: A week before each test, I began to experience such anxiety that I would have to take many breaks during study sessions. My fear of failure would cause my studying to feel ineffective, and I struggled to retain information. On test days, I was so nervous that I was unable to leave my apartment, and I rarely did well regardless of how much time I spent trying to study. Another issue was my study environment – I realized how unproductive and anxious I felt in the library. I felt distracted by the stressed students sitting alongside me. Thus, I began to change things about my study strategies. I started to study from home and at local cafes with cozy, relaxed environments. By better managing my anxiety while studying, I saw improvement in the efficiency of each study session. By this point in my series of trial and error, I was a junior in college. I felt much more confident about the material I was studying. However, I soon realized my anxiety persisted. One day, I walked into a test ready to ace it. It was another morning of stress and thinking about how afraid I was to fail, but I was convinced I could push through. To my dismay, when I saw the exam in front of me, my mind went blank. I was horrified to receive my grade back and see that I had failed. I finally realized that my anxiety was debilitating and causing serious damage to my GPA. It was time to ask for help. Through campus health services, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I was able to receive medication to help me calm down for studying, taking exams, or other events that make me feel too anxious to operate. I also was given extra time for all exams through my university’s Office of Accessibility Services. Since then, I have not received lower than an A- in any class. In light of the hardships I faced during my journey navigating college, they have equipped me with a better understanding of how to study, and, more importantly, a better understanding of myself. I realized that my mental health benefits greatly from my social life via involvement on campus. I learned that I study best in relaxed environments. In times when I expect a spike in my anxiety, I can take medication to calm down. By recognizing these personal nuances, I have created an environment for myself that has helped my personal life and grades flourish.
Kevin Boblenz Scholarship
As a pre-dental student at Florida State University, I never thought that my love of gardening and sustainable living could apply to my future endeavors. However, my involvement on campus has allowed me to combine my passion for the environment with dentistry. When I learned that I needed service hours to apply to dental school, I had no idea what I could do to serve my local community. It wasn’t until I was introduced to a local farm called Lott’s Community Garden that I felt I was making a true impact by doing something meaningful. I first signed up to volunteer at Lott’s Community Garden in March of 2024 with the FSU Pre-Dental Society. I instantly fell in love with this form of service and have been consistently coming back to help ever since. Lott’s Community Garden is special because they work directly with Second Harvest of the Big Bend, a member of Feeding America. Food harvested from this small farm is supplied to the warehouse to be distributed through a local food bank. When I help out on the farm, I always enjoy the peaceful mornings out in nature, working through rows of plants. In my time volunteering there, I have watched my own hard work feed local families. Most recently, I helped cultivate rows of collards – throwing compost into the rows and sprinkling fertilizer on the ground, planting seeds, transplanting the collards when they grew larger, and finally harvesting and packing them into boxes to be shipped to the warehouse. It is so rewarding to see the fruits of my labor, harvesting the very seeds I helped plant. Being able to contribute to my community through something I love has helped shape how I view helping those around me. I want to pursue dentistry because I think that it perfectly combines medicine and cosmetics. Maintaining dental health is essential, but having a great smile that provides confidence is just as important. Growing up, I was insecure about my teeth, and was often bullied about my overbite. It wasn’t until I finally got braces that I began to feel confident about my smile. Today, I am more confident than ever, and I want to make others feel that way too. Helping out at Lott’s Community Garden has allowed me to see service from a different perspective. I learned that helping people isn’t always a direct action. By taking care of the community garden, I have indirectly helped to feed people. The idea of teamwork and collective effort is what ties farming and dentistry together. Without the distribution system or volunteers packing food in the warehouse, the food from Lott’s Community Garden could not be served to our local underserved community. Likewise, without a team of dental assistants, hygienists, office managers, and other local dentists and colleagues, my work alone for a patient would not be enough. When everyone comes together to serve the community, even the slightest help can go a long way. While I may not be pursuing a career in agriculture, it most certainly has become an important part of my life and taught me lessons in an unexpected way. When I become a dentist, I will hold my experiences at Lott’s Community Garden near and dear to my heart, and will never forget that it always takes a village - or perhaps a farm.
Rho Brooks Women in STEM Scholarship
I am a rising sophomore currently studying biochemistry at Florida State University. I have always had a passion for science, but I was not always sure what I wanted to do with it. In recent years, I have realized what it means to give back to my community. I have decided that I want to combine my passion for science with my love of helping others by pursuing medical school. Through high school, I always loved giving back to my community because I felt a great sense of redemption through my actions. Currently, I am finding that redemption through FSU's Women's Student Union, where I am constantly involved in activism for Womxn's rights, productive conversation, and working towards building a support system for all women. As a woman in STEM, I have found community through the WIMSE (Women in Math, Science, and Engineering) Society, where I am actively involved in creating and organizing events that bring our community together. I am inspired by many people in my life. As cliche as it may sound, the best example of this is my mom. When we think of hardships in our lives, we often think of the loss of a loved one, rejection, or oppressive societal issues. What we often fail to see is how lucky we are to be surrounded by supportive friends and family, or the ability to be able to communicate how we are feeling to others. My mom did not always have that. She moved to America with her family when she was just 19 or 20, speaking almost no English, and having to jump straight into college with no friends in the country to support her. My mom was completely culture shocked - she has told me that those first few moments in America were very difficult for her and her family - however, this did not stop her. She worked very hard in college learning English as the years went by, finished with her degree, and was able to have a successful career despite all of the setbacks from the beginning. This does not mean my mom never faced any discrimination - as a Russian Jewish woman, my mom has faced three types of discrimination in her life - prejudice against immigrants, antisemitism, and misogyny. In fact, I have personally witnessed people speak to my mom slowly as if she doesn’t speak good English, (even when my mom’s accent isn’t even that noticeable anymore, so it becomes clear that they speak slowly to be condescending, not to be helpful). These moments have taught me that ignorance and prejudice against non-native English speakers and immigrants is still very real - but in light of this, my mom’s patience has taught me something even more important - that your happiness and determination is what gives your life meaning. In the end, all you really have is yourself (and if you are lucky, your family). You are the only one who can choose which path to take. You are the only one who will always be there to love and support you. Your belief in your abilities must come from none other than you. My mom’s perseverance has inspired me to pursue medical school - and no matter what, I can always count on myself (and my mom) to be my biggest supporter. My values as a leader and as a future doctor are based on life lessons such as these - I believe in determination and perseverance against all odds. I believe in fairness, but also strength - and I want others to believe that too.
Austin Kramer Music Scholarship
Had to use numbers, not song titles to save space. 1. Senior year is going by quickly and life is changing rapidly. 2. Accessing your inner kid. 3. Savoring the good times, overcoming fear of the unknown, taking a breath, and living life. 4. Life isn't always perfect. You must look forward - never back. 5. Never give up. 6. Relationships grow and change throughout life. 7. Platonically or romantically, it's good to have someone there. 8. Victory. Good energy boost. More about the feeling than the lyrics. 9. Cooldown period - favorite song on a calm day. 10. Love.
Chloe Litwak Student Profile | Bold.org