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Macy Whipple…below you’ll find excerpts from her winning essay for the Independent Travel portion of the 2020 Building A Better World Scholarship. Please say hello to Macy Whipple.

Sports to me… “Being a female athlete since the age of five has created such a strong foundation for who I am and my character. Sports to me means everything. They’ve brought me joy, instilled sportsmanship, and have given me friendships strong enough to last a lifetime. It’s inspired me to dive into nutrition and to push myself to have a healthier lifestyle. I’ve even decided to pursue health sciences and fitness in college.”

Capetown South Africa…“With sports and travel being a significant part of my life, I wanted to be able to experience both at the same time. A volunteer program in South Africa lets me do just that while experiencing Africa in a safe way. I would be working with the staff and other volunteers from around the world to support healthy lifestyles in the many communities of Gordon’s Bay. This is a two-week program where I would be spending most of my time teaching the children how to live a healthy lifestyle and the importance of physical activity.”

Girls…“Another aspect of this program is that I would be working with the interns who run the girls empowerment classes at the local primary school. This would be a moment of getting the young girls engaged and involved in the importance of women’s health and well-being. During his process, I would also be supporting the girls and making sure they know the importance of gender equality. This would help the young girls understand that they aren’t any less than the boys when it comes to sports.”

Empowered, Strong, and Worthy.…”What I ultimately want to do is help those girls in South Africa feel the same way I do; empowered, strong, and worthy….I’ve seen first-hand what being discouraged as a female athlete does to someone and helping other girls to fight back against that is something that I feel strongly about. The Sports In South Africa program lets me do just this; this program gives me an opportunity to explore another country and culture that I don’t know about. By going to Cape Town not only will I be able to bring my knowledge to these girls and boys but they’ll be able to help me by teaching me about their lives and what living in Africa is like. This opportunity is one that I’m positive will change my perspective on life.”

Macy’s Plans...”I will be attending Muskegon Community College in the fall with the Muskegon Promise. Along with taking classes I’ll be running cross country and track. I’m excited for this step because it gives me the opportunity to stay at home while continuing my passion of running. After I earn my bachelors degree at MCC I want to transfer to a four year university where I’m still able to run cross country. I will be pursuing a degree in exercise science and nutrition. I’m not 100% sure on what career I want to pursue but I ultimately know that I want to work with people to teach them the importance of exercising and having a healthy mindset. I want to help others feel and look their best! My hobbies include running, traveling, working out, reading, and just being with my family.”

Riann Fri… below you’ll find excerpts from her winning essay for the Independent Travel portion of the 2021 Building A Better World Scholarship. Welcome to Riann Fri.

Please go here to meet all three of our 2021 Scholarship Winners.

Opportunities to Learn… “Travel is extremely important in creating globally aware people. It allows you to create personal growth as you step out of your comfort zone, as well as explore things you would not typically do. Traveling gives you the opportunity to learn different perspectives and further understand the world by exploring different cultures. Traveling is a humbling experience that can shape the way you view life. When you become globally aware individually, you can use those experiences when you get back home to provide different perspectives to your community.”

Our Planet… “With the prevailing issues of climate change and my passion for the environment since I was 12 years old, I have decided to take my passion further by studying sustainability at the University of Michigan. Through the changes I have personally made, like writing to the governor about banning plastic straws and bringing reusable bags to the store, as well as the knowledge I have gained, the number one thing I have realized is that the environment is something that impacts all people. Regardless of your race, socioeconomic status, or political beliefs, we all share the same planet.”

Coral Reefs in Bali… “I would love to use this scholarship to travel to Bali and volunteer with The North Bali Reef Conservation Program. This is a non-profit organization that works with volunteers and local communities to restore and protect coral reef systems…This organization gives volunteers many opportunities to not only work directly in protecting the environment, but also to educate children on conservation. as well as participate in weekly beach clean ups…The main focus of this program is to build and deploy artificial reefs onto areas that have previously destroyed reefs, and I would get to be directly involved with this operation.”

Untouched…“An interesting thing about the village of Tinanyar where I would be volunteering is it is completely untouched by tourism. This would allow me to experience travel in a unique way because much of where I have gone is extremely impacted by tourism, so the opportunity to work with locals and people directly impacted by climate change would give me a perspective I have never been exposed to.”

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Riann’s Plans … “I will be attending the University of Michigan in the fall with plans to pursue degrees in both Communications and Sustainability. I have had a passion for the environment since I was a young and I would love to have a career that contributes to something bigger than myself. I am super excited for this next part of my life and I am looking forward to achieving one of my main goals which is to make a difference! We only have one earth and I would love to be one of the people that works towards protecting it!”

Soley Seewald… below you’ll find excerpts from her winning essay for the Global Awareness portion of the 2021 Building A Better World Scholarship. Welcome to Soley Seewald.

Please go here to meet all three of our 2021 Scholarship Winners.

The Search Begins… “The first step of global awareness is the seeking of knowledge. This is something that is a lifelong commitment, since we live in an ever changing world. It all starts close to home, with curiosity about your own community. A person’s knowledge is like that of a tree, you must first have the roots, containing your understanding of yourself, and the trunk, containing your understanding of your community, before you can branch out to comprehend larger areas, such as the world.”

Out of the Bubble… “As someone who was born into a middle class family in a first world country, I carry a large amount of responsibility to use my resources to better the world around me. To enhance my global awareness, I am going out of my comfort zone to move to Ann Arbor to attend college. I intend to take this opportunity to meet people from all kinds of backgrounds, and to break out of the small bubble of a community that I have lived in for my entire life. This experience will be different than anything else I have ever done, which is why I am so excited to take every advantage of it.”

It takes a Village… “By connecting with other people who strive to be globally aware, you increase your own awareness. By making an effort to encourage more people to become globally aware, you benefit the awareness of the human population. As a globally aware person, you hold a responsibility to spread your knowledge, and to continue to be open minded towards others. This is how you improve the world, by uniting with others and attacking the challenges that life throws at you with intensity.”

I don’t operate this way… “I plan to continue to volunteer and help the people around me, as well as travel and learn as much as I can about individual cultures, which will enhance my sense of the world. Many people go through the motions of life, just going to school and going to work, and never intending to find a deeper meaning within themselves. I don’t operate this way, I want to take every ounce of knowledge and opportunity that the world has to offer, and then I want to turn around and use it to inspire others.”

Soley’s Plans… “This Fall I will be attending the University of Michigan and plan to study Psychology. I hope to use my college experience to get a sense of the world, and explore career paths within my field of study so I can figure out what I want to do after college. No matter what I end up doing, my main goal in life is to be able to help as many people as I can. I want to continue volunteering, and finding opportunities to make the world a better place.”

Congratulations to our OHS 2021 Building A Better World Scholarship Winners. Please explore our links below and get to know three bright and driven gals. Each is headed on to higher education and each has noble aspirations to help create a better world for future generations.

Go here for a brief tutorial on how to donate to Soley, Riann, and Monica. And here for a list of our donors.

Go here for the back story on Building A Better World Scholarship.

You may donate via cash or check drop off at the High School or online here with a VISA Card through Pay Pal. We now also take Venmo (616-402-8668 / Bob Wood – BBW). Our goal for 2021 is $10,000 – three $3,333.33 scholarships. A Grassroots Community Success – 61 scholarships for over $90,000 since 2003. None of this is possible without your ongoing generosity.

Gracias. Muchas gracias.

• Soley Seewald – Please go here to meet Soley Seewald.
• Riann Fri – Please go here to meet Riann Fri.
• Monica Whipple – Please go here to meet Monica Whipple.

$10,000 in 2021

Go here to access the 2021 Scholarship application. Go here to access a video podcast to walk you through the application process. Go here for answers to FAQ. And for our Scholarship History – please try this link.

Attention Oakridge Graduating Seniors – The 2021 Building A Better World Scholarship is open and ready for service. Deadline for Application is May 1 2021 at 11:59 PM EST. Please submit your essay (s) to bwood@oakridgeschools.org.

Please go here for more info on how to donate to our scholarship 🙂

The Oakridge Education Association / Oakridge Parent Club” Building a Better World Scholarship” has been around since 2003.  In that time, we’ve awarded over $80,000 in scholarships to 57 Oakridge High School graduates. Teachers and staff, administrators, and community members and local businesses, from around Muskegon, as well scores of Oakridge High School grads have gathered together to show their generosity – and to help propel great kids to new heights

Take a look to the right… All of our winners thru the Ages.

This year “Building A Better World” will be dividing $10,000 in scholarships among three Oakridge High School graduates. Two Awards (Global Awareness and Community Involvement) will be dealt out in the form of collegiate scholarships. A third Award (Independent Travel) comes in the form of a travel stipend. Graduating Oakridge Seniors may apply for one, two, or all three scholarships. However, you may only win one.

Don’t miss this great opportunity. All entries must be posted by 11:59 PM on May 1, 2021. Please contact Mr. Wood with questions.

Good Luck. We’d love to have you as a Building A Better World Scholarship Alumnus.