Navigating the Scholarship Essay: How to tell your story

How to Write a Winning Scholarship Essay: A Personal Guide

In this blog post, I will share exactly what you need to create a strong scholarship essay, using examples from my winning essay to help guide you. Writing a scholarship essay can seem daunting, but with the right approach, you can create a compelling narrative that showcases your achievements and passion.

Start with the Right Search

First things first: if this is your first time applying for scholarships, begin by researching area-specific grants. Shameless plug: IOscholarships’ search engine can help you fine-tune your search! Beyond that, look into scholarships offered by organizations related to your area of study, campus-specific scholarships, and department-specific scholarships. Smaller grants can often be less competitive, giving you a better chance of success. Winning a few smaller grants can help you stand out in the crowded pool of applicants for larger scholarships.

The Hook: A Compelling Story

A good hook might be a story about what inspired you to pursue your chosen field of study. It’s perfectly fine if you didn’t know you wanted to be a mathematician at age six! Many students don’t discover their passion until they reach college. Did you have an “aha” moment? Or maybe you always knew? Be specific about the experiences that led you to your career choice or area of study.

Furthermore, did a specific class change your perspective? Was there a professor or mentor who helped you discover your passion? Or perhaps an internship or hands-on experience was the turning point. Any one of these stories can be used as your hook.

Showcase Your Experience and Resiliency

It’s important to be specific about the work you’ve done, whether it’s a class project, club involvement, or an internship; every experience you have can shine in your essay. For example, in my essay, I wrote about a story I produced for a “Reporting on the Border” course:

“The most recent story I produced and wrote was probably the most challenging story I have taken on. For my border class with Professor Ayala, I reported on migrants in limbo on the Mexican side of the San Ysidro border. This involved travel, but it also required time, money, and a few of my weekends. The class was not approved to travel to Tijuana due to increasing dangers for journalists, but I wanted to get the story from migrant shelters in the city. I visited four migrant shelters in Tijuana and spoke to border experts, directors, and migrants from Central American countries and Mexican states.”

I included this experience for three reasons: it demonstrates my willingness to take on a challenge, it highlights my commitment to sourcing high-quality voices, and it shows my dedication to on-the-ground reporting.

Another example I included in my essay was about my leadership role at my university’s Spanish language newscast, Al Día. I wrote:

“I am the Executive Producer for our university’s Spanish Language newscast, Al Día, and I have had the opportunity to use my bilingualism to advance my writing and reporting skills. Al Día has built my confidence to take on a leadership role and has helped me bring my identity into the classroom setting.”

This example speaks to my leadership experience, my bilingual skills in action, and how this experience has shaped my identity as a journalist. Start by listing what skills you utilized for the job, what you learned, and how you grew from that experience. 

Show your empathy for the scholarship’s mission

You must research a scholarship’s mission to show your empathy towards their values. For example, one of the scholarship committees I wrote to was committed to diversifying newsrooms with more Latino journalists. This organization was created to build a network for Latino Journalists to thrive in a field that lacks diversity in newsrooms.

One of the reasons we need more diverse reporters is that they can challenge bias and stereotypes when reporting on people of color. The same can be applied to Latinos in the medical field, we are drastically underrepresented in the field, which has led to problems like ineffective patient-provider communication. In other words, if the scholarship you are applying to is related to diversifying the workforce, talk about why you care about being a professional in your respective field. In my essay, I wrote about how my coursework deepened my commitment to ethical reporting: “I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of my university’s outstanding journalism department, where I have gained high-quality hands-on experience and applied my ethnic studies to produce nuanced reporting on communities of color.”

Conclusion: Tell the reader why or how this scholarship will help you

Balancing school, extracurricular activities, and your personal life can be difficult, especially if you face financial challenges. Talk about what you would do if you would do if you won the scholarship and restate your passion for your career choice.

Final Thoughts

By being specific about your experiences, showcasing your passion, and demonstrating how the scholarship will impact your future, you can create an essay that stands out and increases your chances of success. Make sure you have friends, peers, or professors read over your essay. Good luck!