More Than a Test Score

Congratulations to Madeline Southall, our latest Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship winner!

Sometimes life has funny ways of inspiring us; seemingly random occurrences can lead to insightful self-discovery. Our latest essay prompt played on those ideas, asking if you found $100 but weren’t allowed to keep it, who would you give it to? Madeline’s answer hit home with us for finding a way to visit her roots and provide new opportunities for the students of tomorrow.

Here’s her winning essay:
Because my community’s art funding is dwindling, I would donate the $100 to my elementary school’s art program. Art is essential to a developing child’s education. Every child should be exposed to an activity that incorporates several skills and brings such joy to mankind.

Here’s a bit more about our winner:
I sing, I dance, I perform. I work really hard in school and have big plans for my future. I take voice lessons and I’m in my high school’s show choir. My family and friends are very important to me; I couldn’t go a day without them. I am creative and have a very good work ethic. I am in Student Council, National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, and enjoy lots of volunteer work.

Here’s a few of favorite runner’s up:

Chi B. – I would give the money to my youngest sibling and tell him to save it. I would gladly give it to him as an award and a lesson. Teaching him to invest and learn how to save now, which will benefit him greatly in the future.

Shannon S. – If I found $100 I would probably give it to the Salvation Army in my local area. I believe that money goes further in a small community setting. I would probably save it until Christmas so I could put it in one of those red buckets and really make the ringer’s day.

Gagik M. – I would go to fast food restaurants, order something from the dollar menu, and give the friendliest cashier– the one that is always smiling– the $100 bill and I would say “keep the change” because it might make others realize how important it is to have a positive attitude.

Madeline got the hook-up and so can you! Apply for our Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship for your shot at a thousand bucks towards your college tuition.

Our 2011 Sweet Diggity Dawg scholarship competition is officially underway! If you’re new to Zinch, this is our longest running and most prestigious scholarship award. Each year applicants are selected to compete based on their Zinch profile—students then go head-to-head, with fellow Zinch users voting to advance the best profile, until only one student remains claiming the $20,000 scholarship.

After reviewing the thousands of applications we received for the competition, we managed to narrow down our contestants to ten categories. Voting has begun to select the top dog in each category, so check out each of the leaderboards below to see which students made the Top 100 and vote for your favorites.

• Business & Entrepreneurship Finalists

• Community Service Finalists

• Computers & Technology Finalists

• Digital Media Arts Finalists

• Engineering Finalists

• Leadership & Government Finalists

• Life Sciences Finalists

• Performing Arts Finalists

• Social Media & Communication Finalists

• Student Athlete Finalists

Congratulations to Erika Schmidt, our latest Weekly “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship winner!

Extracurriculars like sports, volunteer groups, and clubs on campus are a key part of the college admissions process—they show administrators your true passions and how you’re pursuing your interests. So we wanted to know if you could start your own club on campus, what would it be? Erika’s essay caught our attention for finding a way to teach students a practical skill while giving back to her community.

Here is her winning essay:
I would start a nonprofit extreme couponing club. The club would teach the student body how to save large amounts of money through using coupons. Also, the club would collect coupons to get many store items for an extremely discounted price and donate them to charity.

Here’s a bit more about our winner:
I have always been the dedicated individual who will not let anything stand in their way no matter how difficult the challenge. In fact, I embrace taking on these challenges, though they may cause tons of stress, I find a reassurance and overwhelming joy knowing that the hard work will bring a smile to another’s face. In return, their smile is what brings joy into my life, because a simple smile is a symbol of gratuity, happiness, and the bridging of a new friendship.

Here’s a few of our favorite runner’s up:

Alexis T. – The club that I would start would be the bean bag and a movie club. We would all get together once a week to watch a movie and just relax. This would benefit the student body because everyone is so stressed and it makes such a difference to just take a break and relax.

Ari E. – I would make a group called Moderate’s Alliance. The goal of the group would be to give an unbiased comprehensive summary of political and social issues. Moderate’s Alliance would encourage the adopting of middle ground positions based in intelligent and well informed decisions.

Monica W. – I want to start a Human vs Zombies club on campus. What better way to form close bonds with people than saving each others’ skins time and time again? There would be no way that you could ever un-bond yourself from a relationship like that, and who doesn’t need more love in life?

Erika may have been chosen as this week’s winner, but there’s still plenty more chances for you to score a thousand bucks. Apply for our “Three Sentence Essay” Scholarship every week and you could wind up $1,000 closer to paying for your education.

Let’s face it: You’re in college because you’re expecting a sick job afterwards. With U.S. unemployment resting at a staggering 9.1% the outlook of landing that dream job may seem grim. If certain majors reported 0% unemployment, would that make you change your major? Our friends at Chegg were curious too, so they crunched the numbers to find out for you.

Check out these 6 majors where EVERY graduate has landed a job…

Congratulations to Tiani Calip, winner of the Be the Campus Hero HP Scholarship! For her standout submission and personal dedication to public service, HP Academy is awarding Tiani a brand new DM4x Pavilion Series laptop. We wanted to know a little bit more about our winner, so we asked her a few questions, including how this award will help her pursue her goals—let’s see what she had to say!

What is your life’s passion, and how will this laptop help you pursue it?

My passion is the pursuit of a career in the health and medicinal area. I recently noticed an increasing number of my doctors use laptops during consultations and when I eventually find a job in medicine, computer technology will be used even more. Therefore, by using the laptop HP has granted me, I will be able to pursue my passion in college because of the easy access to information on the internet and increased experience with computer technology.

What is an interest you enjoy that people wouldn’t suspect at first glance?

At first glance, people would not expect me to play the flute, watch Korean dramas with English subtitles, or participate in my high school Varsity Women’s Lacrosse team.

(Finish this sentence) People know when I’ve entered the room because _____.

People know I’ve entered the room because I come in with a smile on my face and immediately greet the people I know, regardless if they are close friends or not.

How are you more than a test score?

I am more than a test score because I have many talents, traits, and quirks that a simple test score percentage could never portray. A test score is merely based off my academic knowledge of one day of my life so far, whereas my personality and interactions with the people around me each day convey the experience I have gained in my short seventeen years on this planet.

Tiani was named our winner this time around, but HP has plenty more to offer all you students out there. Make sure to visit the official HP Academy site for latest news, updates, and discounts on HP gear.