David and I headed to Addison last Thursday to award our fourth and fifth Tebo Family Scholarships. We made three awards last year and two this year. This year’s awards went to Keisha and Nate. Keisha is studying psychology and Nathaniel plans to take us to Mars.
We had seven applicants, did a zoom interview with four, and chose the two we did because of their stories. Everybody’s got one. Our application differs from most because of a key component. “Tell us your story.”
All of the applicants have the grades and skill set to move forward. We don’t care where you plan to go to school or why. Each life is different, so each path is different as well. We’re willing to help those who are able to articulate who they are, their plan to move forward, and where they dream to go.
The secret sauce is the people we meet along the way. We want to help students who recognize that the people we meet on our journey are the key ingredients. They help shape who we become. Relationships with people, not things, are what we look for.
Some students emphasize their independence. The concept that they’ve arrived where they are all by themselves is nonsense. None of us are totally independent. We’re learning things from those around us all the time. The personal challenge is to sort and select whose example, or advice, we choose to follow.
Keisha and Nate spoke of their families in our discussions. While the paths they’ve chosen for themselves are vastly different, the realization that they’ve gotten this far because of the family support they’ve had is evident. They value their family, the guidance they’ve received, and each made a point of telling us that during the interview process.
Keisha’s a non-traditional student who plans to become a forensic psychologist. She’s two years into her studies and is earning her way on her own by working two jobs while attending school.
Nate’s a bit eccentric. He’s bright and marches to his own drummer. We learned at the awards presentation that he ranked tenth in his class and is the highest ranked student in both science and social studies while taking every science and social studies class the district offered. And while he may have been awarded other scholarships, The Tebo Family Scholarship was the only one announced on Thursday night. That revelation just cemented his choice for David and me.
Our goal is to “help students in a manner that suits them best”. I’m confident we made two great choices.