Assignment:
To write a one to two page, single spaced, Thank You Letter to the donor of a scholarship that is for First-Generation College Students. Below is, first information on the donor, then information on the applicant and their essay submitted winning the award.
The donor made his wealth in financial services and has been incredibly philanthropic with it, giving generously to our university and other organizations. He also is a big believer in the importance of society giving ample support to nursing professionals.
The donor really enjoys hearing about the winners: about their personal backgrounds, their experience at the university, and their future goals. As a first-generation college student himself, he was mindful of the challenges undergraduates face when they don’t have people in their immediate lives who attended college. He created the fund to memorialize the mentor who had helped him to navigate his college experience, which in many ways was quite foreign to him because he was (or is) the child of immigrants who came to America seeking greater opportunity and economic security for their family. In establishing the scholarship, the donor stated that he wanted to help first-generation college students who felt a commitment to contribute to society in some way and had already demonstrated that civic spirit.
Your application essay movingly referenced your experience as the daughter of an immigrant single mother and the challenges that brought. You also did an excellent job of explaining why you are pursuing a degree in nursing by highlighting disparities in the provision of health care.
In terms of the thank-you letter, the following elements would make for an effective thank-you to the donor:
-an opening with an expression of thanks for the scholarship—both for the tangible help it provides you at this point in your college career (your last semester) and in the honor it confers since it is a highly competitive scholarship;
-a description of your personal background, as the daughter of a single mother and an immigrant and the understandable challenges that brought;
-a paragraph on why and how this university has been a very positive experience for you, whether in terms of the classes you’ve taken and the research or clinical opportunities your program has offered, and/or the faculty or staff support you’ve received and the classmates you’ve met (i.e., the benefits of the university’s vibrant diversity). The donor likes to know that this university with students from all ethnic and cultural backgrounds is doing its job! If there’s space, you could also mention the volunteer work that has been most meaningful to you;
-an explanation of your professional aspirations;
-a final, short paragraph reiterating your thanks and expressing your desire to meet him so that you can communicate your appreciation in person.
******Students’ thank-you letters in the past have typically been about one or two pages, single-spaced. And they also draw heavily on their application essays, found below:.
Student’s application essay:
describing how her personal or family immigrant history and financial hardships make her eligible for this scholarship:
When I was 10 years old my immigrant single mother who came to the US with only the clothes on her back, spoke broken English, opened a business while raising three children took me in to see a doctor for an earache. Before arriving to the appointment, we went into a bank to withdraw cash as ATM’s were not as readily available in those days. I remember the look of disdain that the young nicely dressed bank teller with painted red nails had on her face as my mother whose old clothes and hair were covered in dust and paint from fixing cars at her auto-body shop that provided life to a small family who otherwise would be destitute from lack of family or support. That day my heart sank as I overheard a tone of unwarranted reproach coming from the other side of the window as that teller spoke ‘down’ to my mother. I left the bank vowing that I would never treat anyone with such disrespect and judgement for the entirety of my life.
Later, as our day progressed, the doctor called my mother and I in with such respect in his tone that I wondered for a split second, thinking of the bank teller, how these strange ‘beings’ called adults could be so different from one another. This doctor was humble, caring and honored the presence of my mother; it was all in his demeanor and eyes. If admiration could burst through any young heart, I know that it did in me at that moment. In that instant, I made the decision to be in his position when I grew up. From that encounter, I knew that I wanted to help people live healthy and do it with honor always showing the dignity and respect that all human beings that share this planet deserve. That day was important in the successful trajectory of my life. Not only did I embrace a model of what I wanted to be, more importantly, I understood in my bones what I did not want to become.
The Center for Disease Control in 2020 names health disparities as preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or the opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations. Populations can be defined by factors such as race or ethnicity, gender, education or income, disability, geographic location (rural or urban), or sexual orientation. In addition, health disparities are inequitable and are directly related to the historical and current unequal distribution of social, political, economic, and environmental resources. Today, despite significant progress in research, practice, and policy, health disparities persist now more than ever in the American healthcare arena.
We know what health disparities are, who they affect, and what they are related to. The question in resolution of a critically debated topic is ‘Why is health disparity so rampant still today?’. Research in health disparities delineate that these differences result from multiple factors including poverty, environmental threats, inadequate access to health care, individual and behavioral factors, and educational inequalities. Although the latter describe the symptoms of a problem, the root issue of health disparities is often avoided as the topic of racism, in any progressive organization, is undeniably and historically a difficult one to peruse. I believe to solve a problem, the diseased root must be brought to light, treated, and evaluated as any ‘living’ organism seeking optimal health, in this case our healthcare system, should.
Healthcare and the research in organizational structure and management surrounding it, overlooks the critical role of collective leadership actions in diminishing health disparities. However, by exploring the strategic actions of collective leaders to determine how individuals and organizations partner presently to solve the complex problems of health disparities we can develop an understanding of these change agents and the strategies they use successfully then continue to build a solid structure of inclusion and health equity from this base. Also, by highlighting the importance of collective strategic leadership as a process of learning, a transfer and dissemination of knowledge across health care organizations, and the empowerment of those involved, we redefine the structure of healthcare brick by brick, leaving out any that may be fundamentally unstable to the health of the diverse populations our health care system is meant to serve.
As a clinical nurse, I will work with the disadvantaged, underserved, and fringe populations from whence I come and from where healthcare is greatly lacking and desperately in need. As a research nurse, I will work to discover organizational strategies to change the root of health care disparities by highlighting and bringing voice to the truth of encounters happening behind closed doors where racism in our healthcare system lurks. As a change agent, I will work to develop, implement, and evolve long-standing policy in the education and training of our healthcare providers as well as in our organizational structure that contributes to judgmental and biased beliefs which are the foundation of health care disparities.
Rough draft of thank you letter assignment:
Dear Donor, I am writing to thank you for your generous scholarship. I was very happy and appreciative to learn that I was selected as the recipient of your scholarship. I have returned to school in search of a fulfilling career in which I can give back to my community. This scholarship is important to me as the ABSN, accelerated nursing program is an intense one-year Bachelors/RN degree which leaves little time for anything other than studies. I plan to pursue a career in nursing upon graduation in September 2022. After graduation, I will work as a nurse working with the under-served populations in the areas of Emergency Medicine and Intensive Care and then apply to a Master’s in Nursing program as soon as the opportunity arises to solidify an education in Health Policy and Change for the underprivileged. Thanks to you, I am one step closer to that goal. By awarding me this scholarship, you have lightened my financial burden, which allows me to focus more on the most important aspect of school: learning. Your generosity has inspired me to help others and give back to the community. I hope one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals just as you have helped me. Sincerely, Student
How did you feel when you learned you received this scholarship?
Excited, relieved and extremely grateful!
How will you use your degree upon graduation?
I intend to work as a Nurse in the underserved population areas of this city. I’d like to work in the Emergency Department, then eventually move up to the ICU.
What are you currently studying and when will you graduate?
I am currently in the ABSN, Accelerated Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing program and will graduate September 2022.
What is the most surprising thing you have learned – academically, socially, or philosophically – so far at this university?
I have always believed in the kindness of strangers but this specific nursing program students continues to amaze me with their exceptional care for each other. I am also a big believer in ‘paying-it’ forward’ and will do so with this degree as soon as is possible.
Why did you choose this academic track? What led you to take up this field of study?
Important to my personal values is my contribution to my surrounding community and fellow neighbors.
Please describe in a short paragraph your volunteer, community service experience, or extra-curricular activities.
For me, volunteering provides a healthy boost to self-confidence, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. You feel you are doing good for others and the community, which provides a natural sense of accomplishment. Volunteering also gives me a sense of pride and identity. It’s a win-win for everyone. Upon graduation, after gaining nursing experience, my goal is to volunteer for organizations where my new skills may be useful.
The Greater Food Bank: September 2018 – present
I mostly work in food prep since I have experience in the restaurant industry.
Cradles to Crayons ‘The Giving Factory’: September 2018 – present
The work at the warehouses is hands-on to sort out donated children’s items.
