The Desire to Inspire Scholarship: Empowering Future Healthcare Leaders

Scholarships play a pivotal role in shaping a student's life, opening doors to higher education and career opportunities that might otherwise remain inaccessible. Financial aid provides educational freedom, profoundly impacting a student's trajectory. The Desire To Inspire Scholarship stands as a testament to this transformative power, dedicated to recognizing and supporting young individuals from historically underrepresented minority groups who aspire to careers in healthcare and demonstrate a commitment to inspiring others.

Overview of the Desire To Inspire Scholarship

The Desire To Inspire Scholarship is a one-time financial award designed to support aspiring healthcare professionals from underrepresented backgrounds. The scholarship aims to recognize young individuals from historically underrepresented minority groups who are interested in a career in healthcare and are making a determined effort to inspire others in some way, shape or form. The scholarship seeks to empower these individuals to achieve their educational goals and become sources of inspiration for others. This one-time scholarship honors young changemakers making a meaningful impact in their communities while striving to achieve their educational and career goals.

Award Details

The scholarship provides a total of $5,000 in financial assistance, distributed among three winners:

1st Place: $2,500
2nd Place: $1,500
3rd Place: $1,000

The three winners will receive their scholarship awards from Bold.org, and each of the five finalists will receive a certificate.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the 2025 Desire To Inspire Scholarship, applicants must meet the following criteria:

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Be a Black, Native American, or Latin American rising high school junior or senior.
Have a minimum GPA of 2.5.
Be interested in pursuing a career in healthcare.

Application Requirements

Interested and eligible students must submit an application that includes the following:

Essay: An essay addressing the following questions (total word limit of 1250 words, with suggested word limits per question):
- What does inspiration mean to you? How would you use your platform in your future career in healthcare to inspire and uplift others? (Ideal word limit: 500 words)
- What intentional actions are you currently taking to inspire people around you? (Ideal word limit: 500 words)
- If granted the scholarship, describe how you would utilize the award to propel yourself towards your goals and continue serving as a source of inspiration to others. (Ideal word limit: 250 words)
Professional Headshot: A professional headshot in JPG or JPEG format. The attire in the photo must be business casual or business professional.

Selection Process

The selection process for the Desire To Inspire Scholarship involves multiple stages:

Initial Review: Each applicant will receive a score from each judge, and these scores will then be averaged into one single score for the applicant.
Finalist Selection: Once each application has been reviewed and every score has been tallied, the five applicants with the highest scores will advance to the voting round. These finalists will be notified of their selection.
Online Voting Competition: The five finalists will participate in an online voting competition to help determine the winner of the scholarship. The competition will take place on a separate page on this blog, that of which will host the pictures of the five finalists, links to their scholarship question answers, and a poll that will allow voters to make their selections.
Winner Announcement: After the competition ends, the final scores will be tallied and the winners of the 2025 Desire To Inspire Scholarship will be officially announced.

The selection criteria emphasize ambition, drive, and impact.

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Important Policy Regarding AI Tools

The use of ChatGPT or any other artificial intelligence tools in the Desire to Inspire scholarship application process is strictly prohibited. The scholarship committee emphasizes the importance of genuine and individual efforts in the application process to ensure a fair and equitable evaluation of all candidates. Applicants are urged to refrain from utilizing AI tools, as any violation of this policy will lead to the rejection of the application.

Examples of Winning Applications

To provide insight into the qualities and experiences that resonate with the scholarship committee, let's examine excerpts from winning applications:

Carolina Orellana: A Legacy of Inspiration

One applicant, reflecting on the memory of a cousin who passed away from childhood cancer, shared how this personal connection fuels their desire to become a healthcare provider. The applicant stated, "Although I knew so little of her, she inspired me and shaped me into the person I am today and my future. She's my constant reminder to never give up on my dreams and inspires me to be a healthcare provider who fights for children like her." This applicant's commitment to advocating for patients, particularly those facing language and income barriers, and contributing to pediatric cancer research demonstrates a deep-seated passion for making a difference.

The Power of Vulnerability

Another applicant described their experience delivering a National Honor Society speech, where they spoke about their vulnerability as a Latina growing up in an underprivileged community. They stated, "My National Honor Society Speech was the first time in my life that I had felt both nervous and confident talking about who I am… I expressed how my success was not driven by my desire for accomplishment but rather by the journey and impact that happens as a result of hard work." This applicant's leadership in their school's MiniTHON, volunteering at local hospitals, and dedication to building a stronger, more inclusive community exemplify their commitment to inspiring others through action.

Investing in the Future

An aspiring physician's assistant highlighted the financial challenges of pursuing higher education while balancing multiple jobs and volunteer commitments. Receiving this scholarship would allow me to focus on education as an aspiring physician's assistant by helping to fund college tuition, future research opportunities, and science courses to prepare me for a physician's assistant program. As a rising senior coming from a low income household, I currently balance two jobs while also volunteering at two hospitals. This scholarship would greatly alleviate the cost for my future education and relieve any financial pressures for college. Additionally this award will allow me to continue my future plans in inspiring first generation, low income, latinas through healthcare careers. The applicant's ongoing efforts to inspire others through expanding participation in their school's MiniTHON, tutoring ESL students, and volunteering at hospitals demonstrate their unwavering dedication to serving as a source of inspiration.

Serena Williams’s Story

One applicant shared the story of Serena Williams’ birth experience on social media for the first time. After she had her daughter, Olympia, via C-section, she was at high risk for blood clots due to a pre-existing condition. When she requested a CAT scan to check for blood clots in her lungs, she was dismissed by a nurse. It was later found that there were, in fact, blood clots in her lungs that could have been fatal. The applicant stated, "In Serena Williams’ words, “being heard and appropriately treated was the difference between life and death for me,” and this is why I want to become a Nurse Practitioner who advocates for all women-specifically Black women and women of color. My mission in my future career as a Black woman working in healthcare is to provide medically sound and culturally sensitive care. Healthcare is not “one size fits all.” Every case is unique. Every woman is unique, and every concern should be taken seriously."

Small Gestures, Big Impact

Another applicant emphasized the importance of small, intentional acts of kindness in inspiring others. The applicant said, "Inspiring others isn’t always done through grand gestures or big accomplishments. Sometimes, inspiration is quiet- perhaps through a small smile." As a Junior Volunteer, I have worked through different departments and have been assigned small but meaningful tasks on the Labor and Delivery unit and in the Pathology lab. In L&D, I helped nurses prepare IV bags and baby bags that hold hats and diapers for the newborns. In the pathology lab, my current rotation, I restock shelves with supplies like tourniquets and IV tubing. One lab tech explained how the lab supports the whole hospital. He said, “No matter how knowledgeable the doctors are, they can’t treat patients without the tests the lab runs.” The lab is behind-the-scenes work as he summarized. I see my volunteer role in a similar way, no matter how small the task, it matters. That’s how I show up each day. This applicant's dedication to volunteering, supporting fellow students, and approaching every task with a positive attitude demonstrates their commitment to making a difference in the lives of others.

Being Present

One applicant shared that being a source of inspiration at times is merely being present. I want to use this scholarship to be present. By pursuing my aspirations, I hope to be able to show other young Black women that their hopes should be in every room, every hospital, laboratories, and boardrooms. The Desire to Inspire Scholarship will not only help me in fulfilling my goals but open doors for others.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

The NAACP's Inspire Initiatives program offers a range of scholarships to support outstanding and qualified students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees. These scholarships vary in award amount, academic interests, and eligibility criteria. Some notable opportunities include:

Agnes Jones Jackson Scholarship

This scholarship honors the late Agnes Jones Jackson, a long-time NAACP member from the San Francisco branch. It is a non-renewable scholarship opportunity.

Empowering a Better Tomorrow Scholarship Powered By Walmart

This scholarship assists individuals who have been formerly incarcerated or recently convicted and are seeking to further their education. It is open to students who will matriculate full-time enrollment at an accredited academic institution in the Fall of 2025 and is a non-renewable scholarship opportunity.

Hubertus W. V. Willems Scholarship

This scholarship supports male students interested in pursuing careers in engineering, chemistry, physics, and/or mathematical sciences. It is a non-renewable scholarship opportunity.

The Ed Dwight Scholarship

This scholarship honors Ed Dwight, the first Black astronaut candidate. It is a non-renewable scholarship opportunity.

The NAACP X Society Awards Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to students interested in pursuing careers in visual/performing arts, including film, theatre, fashion, photography, graphic design, dance, music, journalism, and mass communications. Scholarships are awarded to those with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

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