Porshea is a nursing major who has been awarded the Lettie Petit Scholarship, the Maymi Chandler Memorial Scholarship, and the Dekalb Medical Coppage Scholarship. Her awards amount to enough to cover tuition, books, and other school expenses.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I am involved in Nursing Students at Georgia State, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Softer Touch, a service-based organization, I’m an Honors student, and I am enrolled in the Nursing Program. Juggling everything that I am involved in while being an active and productive member of each organization and also taking strenuous nursing classes that involve 6-12 hour clinicals has really taught me how to be organized and flexible with my time.
What set your application apart from the others?
I think my essays were very thorough and had personality. I combined my personal experiences and personality to the question asked. For example, when they asked me, “What makes you a good leader?” or “What sets you apart from other aspiring nurses?” I started off my essay first by defining what a good leader is to me and some characteristics that a good leader has. Then I used examples in my life where I have been a leader, talked about how those experiences helped me to become a better overall leader in nursing, and then I summarized everything.
One scholarship required me to be simultaneously interviewed by three doctors and four nurses. I was nervous at first, but once the interview started I was very comfortable and confident and my own personality shined through and they were drawn into what I had to say. They laughed a lot and told me that I had a vibrant spirit. At the end they thanked me for being myself.
How did you go about finding these scholarships?
I first thought about being a nursing major. I went through the nursing department to see which scholarships they had to offer. Most departments offer scholarships for students who are in that particular program. The second thing I did was to contact hospitals through their websites about scholarships they offered to nurses. Whatever your profession is, contact employers in that field to inquire about scholarships or paid internships available for students.
What did you write about in your essay?
I talked about how I was a leader by starting my own nonprofit organization mentoring young girls. I talked about all the things that I was involved in on my school’s campus that allowed me to act as a leader to my peers. I also talked about personal characteristics that I have that make me a leader like determination, integrity, organization, good communication, and flexibility.
I was in a final group project that was about 20% of our grade in one of my nursing classes. It was a group of five and there were two people who were not helping at all. Everyone else was less confrontational and wanted change but didn’t know how to go about voicing their opinions. I took initiative and spoke with the two members of the group and let them know what they were doing wrong and how they could correct it in a positive manner. I let them know that their input was needed and would be appreciated and I also let them know what would happen to them if they failed to complete their part of the project. They appreciated the respect that I approached them with. I mean business!