Junior Grant Cynor-Ford has come in fifth at the state of Oregon’s VFW scholarship competition. The VFW scholarship opportunity comes from the Veterans of Foreign Wars service organization. They aim to help veterans who served internationally rehabilitate and acclimate to life away from their service.
The program that presents and provides this scholarship opportunity is called Voice of Democracy. In it, students create a five-minute audio essay on a selected topic or prompt, which varies from year to year. This year it was ‘Is America what our forefathers envisioned?’ The program aims to encourage students to continue in their schooling and to give them a voice they might not have previously had a chance to explore. Cynor-Ford stated that it was something he’d never done before, and he was grateful for the experience.
Wondering how to find an opportunity like this for yourself? Well, Cynor-Ford found this scholarship via our very own College & Career Center, and it spoke to him out of the many he found. If you’re looking for scholarship opportunities make sure you stop by! His advice to others looking to do similar things is straightforward. “Don’t give up,” he says. “Make sure you believe in what you’re saying and stick to it. Don’t worry about the biases other people might have toward you or your ideas, and give it your best shot, even if you think it won’t go far.”
