![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/1646158375345.webp)
Hobbies and interests
Community Service And Volunteering
Reading
Hiking And Backpacking
Photography and Photo Editing
Foreign Languages
Travel And Tourism
Mental Health
Sustainability
International Relations
Acting And Theater
Singing
Choir
Volleyball
Reading
Fantasy
Classics
Science Fiction
Folklore
Mystery
I read books multiple times per week
Natalie Gerads
1,715
Bold Points1x
Finalist![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/1646158375345.webp)
Natalie Gerads
1,715
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
I aspire to be a good role model for my younger siblings and a source of pride for my parents and family. I’m a first-gen, low-income student and much of my family has not had the resources to get a four year degree. I dream of being able to break that chain and honor all of my family’s hard work and impact on my life.
I have a lot of passions including the arts, volunteerism, and sustainability. Academically, I love to learn about international relations and diplomacy between nations. It’s what led me to declaring a combined major of political science and international affairs with a minor of law and public policy. I aspire to have the ability to make the world a better place through humanitarian efforts, conflict resolution, and/or IGOs. As of now I haven’t found my international niche but with college I have the possibility to discover it.
Overall, I hope that through these scholarships I can achieve my personal goals of giving back to the community and creating a positive change in the world. If my schooling becomes more affordable I will have the resources to positively impact the world without the financial strain of wondering if I can even afford to have an education. To win a scholarship would mean the world to me and I hope to someday pay it forward.
Education
Northeastern University
Bachelor's degree programMajors:
- Political Science and Government
- International/Globalization Studies
Minors:
- Law
Sauk Rapids-Rice Senior High
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
Career
Dream career field:
Government Relations
Dream career goals:
Diplomacy, American Indian Law
Cashier
Menards2022 – Present2 yearsOffice Assistant
Northeastern University College of Social Sciences and Humanities Advising Office2021 – Present3 yearsBakery Clerk
Coborn's Grocery2021 – 2021Bakery Clerk
Dutch Maid Bakery2019 – 20201 year
Sports
Les Voyageurs Inc
Club2021 – 2021
Awards
- Spent a month portaging and canoeing throughout the boundary waters with 8 other girls the same age
CHAARG- Womens fitness organization
Club2021 – Present3 years
Volleyball
Junior Varsity2017 – 20181 year
Awards
- Captain of the A Team Freshman Year
Volleyball
Club2013 – 20174 years
Awards
- 1st Place Gold at Tournaments
- 2nd Place Silver at Tournaments
- 3rd Place Bronze at Tournaments
Arts
Northeastern Voice Lessons
Music2021 – PresentNUStage
TheatreJane Eyre2022 – PresentNortheastern University Chorus
musicRhythms of the Soul Concert2021 – PresentSolo/Ensemble- voice
Music2017 won a superior rating for a solo, 2018 won a superior rating for a duet, 2019 won a superior rating for a solo2017 – 2020Wirth Center for Performing Arts
MusicVoice lessons, Guitar lessons2017 – 2021Carolling group
MusicSang at tree farms and local grocery stores2018 – 2019Sauk Rapids-Rice High School Chamber Choir
MusicMultiple performances/concerts, Won 2 superior ratings at solo/ensemble2018 – 2020Sauk Rapids-Rice High School Concert Choir
MusicNumerous concerts, 2021 were selected for MMEA performance festival2018 – 2021One-Act MSHSL
TheatreThe Soothing System of Professor Maillard, The Prisoner's Hands2019 – 2021Sauk Rapids High School Theatre
TheatreAladdin Jr. , Aida, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare Abriged and Revised, Legally Blonde, Radium Girls, A Christmas Carol, Shrek the Musical2017 – 2021
Public services
Advocacy
Generations Park & Playground LLC — A llc (soon to be nonprofit) I've created to make an adaptive playground in Sauk Rapids, MN. I've worked with the City of Sauk Rapids; the mayor, planning director, planning committee, and city council. I've also been working with local businesses.2017 – PresentVolunteering
Minnesota Honor Society — As president I organized four school and community blood drives, arranged toys for tots and food drives, as well as donated letters and gifts to nursing homes during COVID-192019 – 2021
Future Interests
Advocacy
Politics
Volunteering
Philanthropy
International Studies Scholarship
Compassion for one another is taught through embracing our differences and similarities. It is also through global exploration that we as individuals and as a nation can better understand ourselves and better understand the world. The reason for this has almost everything to do with perspective.
I have had the opportunity to participate in a couple of cultural programs and each one had me departing with a better understanding of myself and other parts of the world. Before these camps and study-abroad experiences, I had lived the majority of my life in an isolated bubble. My global experiences were limited as was my knowledge of different cultures and perspectives. I didn’t begin to realize the limitation this lack had on me until I traveled for the first time. The summer before my sophomore year of high school I left the U.S. to study-abroad in Italy and learn about about sustainability and the slow food movement; little did I know the knowledge I would gain would be far greater than that. In a single month I learned more about myself and the world than I had my whole life prior. I met amazing people, stayed with an amazing family, and was immersed in a culture similar but also different from mine. It ignited a passionate within me to pursue international affairs.
In later summers I would come to attend a Spanish immersion camp and even later, an online course about being a better global citizen. After each experience I left with what felt like life changing perspectives about different nations, cultures, and people. Through classes I now take in college like globalization, international relations, and comparative politics, I’ve learned how important it is to empathize and learn about each culture in order to make the world the best it can be for future generations. Each individual is just important as the next and each culture has just an equal importance in making the world go round. If we want to flourish as a nation and to thrive as humanity then global exploration is a necessity. We have to learn about life beyond our little bubbles and celebrate the diversity of the world in order to have diplomacy, cooperation, and peace. These are things that come once we recognize how unique each culture is and remind ourselves each day to celebrate these differences and similarities. Each new perspective we learn is another step towards creating a more positive legacy for the future.