Serenity Marie Johnson… below you’ll find excerpts from her winning essay for the Global Awareness portion of the 2020 Building A Better World Scholarship.
Please go here to meet all four of our 2020 Scholarship Winners.
To be Globally Aware...”In order to succeed both academically and socially in this incredibly interconnected world, we must first recognize, understand, and respect, to work well with others from various cultural backgrounds. To be globally aware means that you understand what is going on around you and you are not limiting your knowledge to just your backyard. Although it is important to educate yourself on what is going on across the globe, it is equally important to know what is happening in your hometown.”
This is because people who are awake are also more understanding… “They know what it means to walk in somebody else’s shoes. Countless individuals greet their fear of the unknown with violence. If you are globally aware and understand the lives and values of foreign cultures, there is no need to be fearful. Less fear means less violence. We must maintain an open mind filled with endless possibilities to continue pushing the boundaries of what it means to be awake and globally aware.”
I aspire to take charge… “Throughout high school I have never settled for just one answer; I needed to know more. I will continue to ask peers and faculty members for more information on a topic if I am unaware. I aspire to be someone who won’t just sit on the outside looking in. If I see an issue, I will take charge and there will be change. I plan to take this eagerness for learning and knowledge with me into all of my future endeavors.”
I plan to become a nurse... “As a nurse, you must understand what is going on around you all the time…Especially in times such as these, it is apparent that our healthcare workers are a major piece to the puzzle. It is important that they understand what impacts they have on people’s lives I know now—even as a CNA—that it is vital you respect your patient’s personal beliefs while taking care of them and your co-workers’ personal beliefs while working with them, even if those beliefs do not comply with your own.”
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Serenity’s plans… “To start my journey I will be attending Muskegon Community College in the fall with the Muskegon Promise. Here I will pursue an Associate’s Degree in Applied Science to become a Registered Nurse. After this, I plan to enter Michigan State University’s RN to BSN Community College Partnership Program in order to obtain my Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Nursing. Even after this, I have plans to continue my education in hopes of becoming a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner. My ultimate goal within my work is to be aware, awake, and to educate others. I believe we—as members of the human race—have a responsibility to pass our knowledge onto others and to help those who are less fortunate. I am beyond excited to see where my journey takes me.”
