Two Emporia State students who believe in serving others and giving back have won scholarships in an annual essay contest. Jack Jewett of Wichita received $1,000, and Gaby Amparan of Liberal received $863 at today’s ESU Founders’ Day celebration.
Now in its eighth year, the 1863 scholarship competition asks students to write essays telling about something at Emporia State University that changed their lives.
Jewett, a Maize South High School graduate, told of the many international students he met through GIVE, or Getting Involved in Volunteering in Emporia, which is a recognized student organization at the university. A freshman, Jewett joined Community Hornets in his first semester on campus. As part of Community Hornets, he was asked to lead GIVE.
“The students I met in GIVE changed my vocation and the course of my life,” wrote Jewett. “Seeing so many international students thrive in not only their native languages but also English and many other languages simultaneously inspired me to refocus on what I want my career to be. I added political science to my English major, and a Spanish minor.”
He went on to talk about the camaraderie created as students work together to fulfill their community service requirements. Friendships developed along the way. Jewett said he was inspired by the hard work that international students put in to reach their dreams.
“My experience in GIVE changed my life and my vocation. Building relationships with our Givers has given me lifelong friendships and connections from all across the globe,” he wrote. “As only a freshman in college, my worldview drastically expanded, and I have Community Hornets, Emporia State, GIVE and all of the amazing international students to thank for that.”
Amparan also found herself adding to her academic load because of her experiences at Emporia State. In her essay she told of her original plan — finish a degree in secondary English education in three year and return to her hometown of Liberal to serve her community.
A first-generation college student with a drive to succeed, Amparan was on track to complete her plan along with a minor in health and human performance because of additional classes she took with ESU’s flat-rate tuition plan, which charges one tuition price for 10 hours or more per semester.
With one year left until graduation, Amparan discovered two passages in a study of Chinese literature that changed her life. One of those was from the writings of Zhuangzi and said “Great understanding is broad and unhurried; little understanding is cramped and busy.”
Wrote Amparan: “I had to pause for a moment, realizing that perhaps my plan to finish school soon, though for good motive, may in fact not be the best decision for me. ‘Cramped and busy’ would describe my schooling at the time. Yes, I was understanding material and earning excellent grades, but did this mean I was achieving mastery to become the best version of myself — the best educator I could be? Was I going to experience enough before graduating to feel truly prepared for my career? ‘Unhurried’ spun around in my head the rest of that week. Why was I in such a hurry?”
In the end, Amparan said, she extended her ESU career by one semester, with anticipated graduation in December 2020. Her health and human performance studies moved from a minor to a second major.
The 1863 scholarship competition began in 2013 with a gift of $1,863 to the ESU president from the President’s Community Advisory Board. Its format embraces the full history of Emporia State University. Founded in 1863, the university’s vision is “Changing Lives for the Common Good.” Each year, students who enter share their very personal stories about how Emporia State has changed their own lives.
Jack Jewett’s full essay is online here.
Gaby Amparan’s essay is here.